What's New?

 

Red Sox Players

 

Chapter 1

 

World Series

 

World Events

 

1918 Season

 

Babe's Piano

 

Blog

 

 

Media predictions for the 2002 season — Page 2 — Pedro Martinez, RedSox pitcher, Boston Red Sox

pedro martinez
___________________________

Media predictions for the 2002 season

If you see any others (especially Red Sox), send them in.

Predictions page 1

April 16, 2002

Lindy’s Baseball Scouting Report

                 American League           National League
East             New York                  Atlanta
Central          Cleveland                 St. Louis
West             Seattle                   Arizona
Wild Card        Boston                    San Francisco
Pennant Winner   New York                  St. Louis
World Series     New York
Manager of Year  Joe Torre                 Dusty Baker
MVP              Alex Rodriguez            Shawn Green
Cy Young         Pedro Martinez            Matt Morris
Rookie of Year   Hank Blalock              Sean Burroughs
Rookie Pitcher   Ryan Drese                Josh Beckett

April 2, 2002

New York Times Baseball Writers
Murray Chass, Jack Curry, Tyler Kepner, Rafael Hermoso

                 MC          JC            TK            RH
AL East           Yankees      Yankees       Yankees       Yankees
AL Central       Minnesota   Minnesota     Chicago       Minnesota
AL West          Seattle     Seattle       Seattle       Seattle
AL Wild Card     Oakland     Oakland       Oakland       Oakland
AL Pennant       Yankees     Yankees       Yankees       Yankees
NL East          Atlanta     Atlanta       Atlanta       Atlanta
NL Central       St. Louis   St. Louis     St. Louis     St. Louis
NL West          Arizona     Arizona       San Francisco Arizona
NL Wild Card     Houston     Mets          Mets          Mets
NL Pennant       St. Louis   St. Louis     St. Louis     Mets
World Series     Seattle     Yankees       Yankees       Mets

Seattle Times Staff Predictions
Bob Finnigan, Blaine Newnham, Steve Kelley, Bob Sherwin, Larry Stone

Bob Finnigan

AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Minnesota    Seattle     New York      Houston      Arizona
Boston*       Cleveland    Oakland     Atlanta       St. Louis*   San Francisco
Toronto       Chicago      Anaheim     Philadelphia  Chicago      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Texas       Florida       Pittsburgh   San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
                                                     Cincinnati
ALCS: Seattle over Yankees
NLCS: Arizona over Mets
World Series: Seattle over Arizona
Blaine Newnham
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Chicago      Seattle     Atlanta       Houston      Arizona
Boston*       Cleveland    Texas       New York      St. Louis*   San Francisco
Toronto       Minnesota    Oakland     Florida       Chicago      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Anaheim     Philadelphia  Milwaukee    San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Cincinnati   Colorado
                                                     Pittsburgh
ALCS: Yankees over Seattle
NLCS: St. Louis over Houston
World Series: Yankees over St. Louis
Steve Kelley
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Chicago      Seattle     Atlanta       St. Louis    Arizona
Boston        Minnesota    Oakland*    New York*     Houston      San Francisco
Toronto       Cleveland    Texas       Philadelphia  Milwaukee    Los Angeles
Baltimore     Kansas City  Anaheim     Florida       Chicago      Colorado
Tampa Bay     Detroit                  Montreal      Cincinnati   San Diego
                                                     Pittsburgh
ALCS: Yankees over Seattle
NLCS: Atlanta over Arizona
World Series: Yankees over Atlanta
Bob Sherwin
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Chicago      Oakland     Atlanta       St. Louis    San Francisco
Boston        Cleveland    Seattle*    New York      Chicago      Arizona*
Toronto       Minnesota    Anaheim     Philadelphia  Houston      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Texas       Florida       Cincinnati   San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
                                                     Pittsburgh
ALCS: Oakland over Yankees
NLCS: St. Louis over Arizona
World Series: Oakland over St. Louis
Larry Stone
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Minnesota    Seattle     Atlanta       St. Louis    San Francisco
Boston        Chicago      Oakland*    New York*     Houston      Arizona
Toronto       Cleveland    Texas       Florida       Chicago      Los Angeles
Tampa Bay     Detroit      Anaheim     Philadelphia  Cincinnati   San Diego
Baltimore     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
                                                     Pittsburgh
ALCS: Seattle over Oakland
NLCS: St. Louis over Mets
World Series: Seattle over St. Louis
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Phil O'Neill
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Minnesota    Oakland     New York      St. Louis    Arizona
Boston        Chicago      Seattle     Atlanta       Houston      San Francisco
Toronto       Cleveland    Texas       Philadelphia  Cincinnati   Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Anaheim     Florida       Chicago      San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
                                                     Pittsburgh
World Series: St. Louis over Yankees
Bill Ballou
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Minnesota    Seattle     New York      Houston      San Diego
Boston        Cleveland    Anaheim     Philadelphia  Chicago      Los Angeles
Toronto       Chicago      Oakland     Atlanta       St. Louis    Arizona
Baltimore     Kansas City  Texas       Florida       Cincinnati   San Francisco
Tampa Bay     Detroit                  Montreal      Pittsburgh   Colorado
                                                     Milwaukee
American League Predictions
BaseballProspectus.com
Link also includes extensive comments
American League East 
                    First    Second     Third      Fourth      Fifth 
Jeff Bower          Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Clay Davenport      Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Orioles     Devil Rays 
Jeff Hildebrand     Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Gary Huckabay       Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Rany Jazayerli      Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Chris Kahrl         Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Mat Olkin           Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Orioles     Devil Rays 
Doug Pappas         Yankees  Blue Jays  Red Sox    Devil Rays  Orioles 
Dave Pease          Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Joe Sheehan         Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Greg Spira          Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Orioles     Devil Rays 
Michael Wolverton   Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Orioles     Devil Rays 
Keith Woolner       Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 
Derek Zumsteg       Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Orioles     Devil Rays 
Consensus           Yankees  Red Sox    Blue Jays  Devil Rays  Orioles 

Jeff Bower: The Yankees could be good for 105 wins after clearing out some of the deadwood late last fall. Grady Little holds things together in Boston despite Pedro Martinez’s ailments, but the Bosox fall just short of winning the wild card. … 

Clay Davenport: New York 104, Boston 95, Toronto 73, Baltimore 69, Tampa Bay 68
There are two really good teams here, two really bad ones, and one in the middle that looks to me like it’s dropping down towards the bad ones. The Yankees are going to be very tough to beat this year, absolutely loaded all over the field. The Red Sox desperately need a healthy Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra if they are going to have any chance of taking the Yankees or even the wild card. …

Jeff Hildebrand: Ho hum, another year, another Yankees division title. They’ve reloaded, and no one else has stepped up to match them yet. For the Red Sox to have any chance at all, Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra both have to be back at full strength, which seems like a tall order. Given the state of the farm system and the circus accompanying the new ownership, this looks like a team that is a year or two away from a massive decline. …

Gary Huckabay: The Yankees blow their division wide open by the All-Star break, making it look something like the 2001 version of the AL West, but without the kick-ass team in second place. Grady Little does a masterful job handling Pedro Martinez, keeping him healthy for 28 starts and 195 innings, while Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez come back at either 80% effectiveness or 80% health each. Trot Nixon is the best hitter in the league against righties, and it’s all still not enough to do anything more than hang on the fringes of the wild-card race. …

Rany Jazayerli: 

New York 100-62
Boston    88-74
Toronto   82-80
Tampa Bay 65-97
Baltimore 63-99

Exactly zero surprises here. The Yankees are the best team in baseball, a tribute to their willingness to proactively fix holes before they develop. The Red Sox simply don’t have the offense to give New York a challenge.

Chris Kahrl:  This boils down to the Yankees and the two pairs. The Red Sox should finish ahead of the Blue Jays, but the Sox are terribly combustible. Whoever finishes third is going to be closer to #2 than the second-place finisher will be to the Yanks …

Mat Olkin:  New York Yankees: Men on base all over the place.  Boston Red Sox: Pedro Martinez is mostly healthy, good enough to give the A’s a run for the wild card. 

Greg Spira: The AL East is pretty clear. … Anybody who doesn’t pick the Yankees to win this division has more than just a screw loose. The Yankees have a bigger edge going into 2002 than they’ve had in any season since the early 1960s, thanks to the offseason overhaul of their offense. Assuming at least some of their players stay healthy, the Red Sox are clearly the second most talented team in the division, and while they won’t threaten the Yankees they could contend for the wild card if Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez are healthy all season. … 

Michael Wolverton: The easiest division to call. The Yankees will shock the baseball world by winning the division handily. The Red Sox have second pretty much locked up; whether they contend for the wild card will depend not so much on the health of Pedro Martinez, but on how well Tony Cloninger is able to fill Joe Kerrigan’s shoes as pitching coach. Martinez can be a great pitcher with any coach, but John Burkett can’t, Dustin Hermanson can’t, and Darren Oliver certainly can’t. 

Derek Zumsteg: Boring. The Yankees aren’t going to reel off more than 100 wins as has been predicted in some circles, and they’re finally going to face some injuries that will hurt them, but they’ve got the depth and adaptability to fix issues as they go. The Red Sox won’t put together a good enough staff and lineup to chase the Yankees down, but should be within five games at season’s end.

American League Central
First      Second     Third      Fourth  Fifth
Jeff Bower          White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Royals  Tigers
Clay Davenport      White Sox  Cleveland  Twins      Tigers  Royals
Jeff Hildebrand     White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Gary Huckabay       White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Rany Jazayerli      White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Chris Kahrl         Twins      White Sox  Cleveland  Royals  Tigers
Mat Olkin           Twins      White Sox  Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Doug Pappas         White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Dave Pease          White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Joe Sheehan         White Sox  Cleveland  Twins      Tigers  Royals
Greg Spira          White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Michael Wolverton   White Sox  Cleveland  Twins      Tigers  Royals
Keith Woolner       White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Royals  Tigers
Derek Zumsteg       Twins      White Sox  Cleveland  Tigers  Royals
Consensus           White Sox  Twins      Cleveland  Tigers  Royals 

American League West
First      Second     Third      Fourth
Jeff Bower          Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Clay Davenport      Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Jeff Hildebrand     Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Gary Huckabay       Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Rany Jazayerli      Mariners   Athletics  Rangers    Angels
Chris Kahrl         Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Mat Olkin           Mariners   Athletics  Rangers    Angels
Doug Pappas         Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Dave Pease          Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Joe Sheehan         Mariners   Rangers    Athletics  Angels
Greg Spira          Mariners   Athletics  Rangers    Angels
Michael Wolverton   Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Keith Woolner       Mariners   Athletics  Rangers    Angels
Derek Zumsteg       Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels
Consensus           Athletics  Mariners   Rangers    Angels 

National League Predictions
BaseballProspectus.com

Link also includes extensive comments

National League East
First      Second    Third     Fourth    Fifth
Jeff Bower          Atlanta    Marlins   Mets      Phillies  Expos
Clay Davenport      Atlanta    Mets      Phillies  Marlins   Expos
Jeff Hildebrand     Atlanta    Phillies  Mets      Marlins   Expos
Gary Huckabay       Atlanta    Marlins   Mets      Phillies  Expos
Rany Jazayerli      Atlanta    Phillies  Mets      Marlins   Expos
Chris Kahrl         Atlanta    Phillies  Mets      Marlins   Expos
Mat Olkin           Atlanta    Mets      Phillies  Marlins   Expos
Doug Pappas         Atlanta    Mets      Phillies  Marlins   Expos
Dave Pease          Atlanta    Phillies  Mets      Marlins   Expos
Joe Sheehan         Atlanta    Marlins   Phillies  Expos     Mets
Greg Spira          Atlanta    Mets      Phillies  Marlins   Expos
Michael Wolverton   Atlanta    Marlins   Mets      Phillies  Expos
Keith Woolner       Atlanta    Marlins   Mets      Phillies  Expos
Derek Zumsteg       Phillies   Atlanta   Mets      Marlins   Expos
Consensus           Atlanta    Mets tie w/Phillies Marlins   Expos

National League Central
First     Second    Third     Fourth    Fifth   Sixth
Jeff Bower          Cardinals Astros    Reds      Cubs      Pirates Brewers
Clay Davenport      Astros    Cubs      Cardinals Brewers/Pirates   Reds
Jeff Hildebrand     Astros    Cardinals Cubs      Reds      Brewers Pirates
Gary Huckabay       Cubs      Astros    Cardinals Reds      Brewers Pirates
Rany Jazayerli      Astros    Cubs      Cardinals Reds      Brewers Pirates
Chris Kahrl         Astros    Cubs      Cardinals Reds      Brewers Pirates
Mat Olkin           Astros    Cardinals Cubs      Reds      Brewers Pirates
Doug Pappas         Astros    Cardinals Cubs      Reds      Brewers Pirates
Dave Pease          Astros    Cardinals Cubs      Reds      Brewers Pirates
Joe Sheehan         Cardinals Astros    Cubs      Reds      Pirates Brewers
Greg Spira          Astros    Cardinals Cubs      Reds      Brewers Pirates
Michael Wolverton   Astros    Cardinals Cubs      Reds      Brewers Pirates
Keith Woolner       Cubs      Astros    Reds      Cardinals Pirates Brewers
Derek Zumsteg       Cardinals Astros    Cubs      Reds      Pirates Brewers
Consensus           Astros    Cardinals Cubs      Reds      Brewers Pirates 

National League East
First        Second       Third        Fourth       Fifth
Jeff Bower         Diamondbacks Giants       Padres       Rockies      Dodgers
Clay Davenport     Giants       Diamondbacks Padres       Dodgers      Rockies
Jeff Hildebrand    Giants       Rockies      Diamondbacks Padres       Dodgers
Gary Huckabay      Padres       Diamondbacks Rockies      Giants       Dodgers
Rany Jazayerli     Padres       Giants       Rockies      Diamondbacks Dodgers
Chris Kahrl        Padres       Diamondbacks Giants       Dodgers      Rockies
Mat Olkin          Diamondbacks Giants       Padres       Dodgers      Rockies
Doug Pappas        Giants       Padres       Diamondbacks Rockies      Dodgers
Dave Pease         Padres       Giants       Diamondbacks Rockies      Dodgers
Joe Sheehan        Padres       Diamondbacks Rockies      Giants       Dodgers
Greg Spira         Rockies      Giants       Diamondbacks Padres       Dodgers
Michael Wolverton  Giants       Rockies      Diamondbacks Padres       Dodgers
Keith Woolner      Padres       Giants       Diamondbacks Dodgers      Rockies
Derek Zumsteg      Giants       Rockies      Diamondbacks Padres       Dodgers
Consensus          Giants       Padres       Diamondbacks Rockies      Dodgers

San Francisco Chronicle
Henry Schulman
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West 
New York      Minnesota    Seattle     New York      St. Louis    Arizona
Boston        Chicago      Oakland     Atlanta       Houston      San Francisco
Toronto       Cleveland    Anaheim     Florida       Chicago      Los Angeles
Tampa Bay     Detroit      Texas       Philadelphia  Cincinnati   San Diego
Baltimore     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
                                                     Pittsburgh

Crystal ball sees Giants, A’s finishing 2nd
Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle

AL East AL Central AL West NL East NL Central NL West
New York      Chicago      Seattle     Atlanta       St. Louis    Arizona
Boston        Cleveland    Oakland     New York      Chicago      San Francisco
Toronto       Minnesota    Anaheim     Philadelphia  Houston      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Texas       Florida       Cincinnati   San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
Pittsburgh


March 31, 2002

The New York Times

These are the new Red Sox. Pedro and Nomar are still there — and they have been pronounced healthy, along with Jason Varitek —  but the owners are new, the top executives in the front office are new and the manager is new. Gone is Dan Duquette, the general manager, who three Cy Young awards ago pronounced Roger Clemens in the ”twilight of his career” and who alienated Mo Vaughn, too. Gone is Joe Kerrigan, the novice manager Duquette appointed last August; Kerrigan couldn’t figure out how to overcome adversity, as his predecessor, Jimy Williams, had done. Grady Little is the new manager, a major league rookie after trying out in the minors for 16 years. He comes highly recommended. Rickey Henderson, at 43, is a new player, the holder of three career records: stolen bases, runs scored and walks.

Key to season: The amount of help Burkett and Hermanson, among others, give Pedro Martnez in the starting rotation will determine how far the new Red Sox go.

Providence Journal

New York
Boston

ROOKIE TO WATCH: RH Juan Pena.

STRENGTHS: Improved speed with the addition of Damon and Henderson; healthier and younger starting rotation; Pedro Martinez, the game’s best pitcher when healthy; stronger middle of the lineup; double-play combination.

WEAKNESSES: Defense at the infield corners; lack of lefty starter, which will hurt against New York, Seattle and Oakland; absence of proven No. 2 starter.

OUTLOOK: As goes Pedro, so go the Red Sox. The team is far healthier than the end of last season, but if Martinez is injured, so too are any chances the Sox have of making the post-season.

Toronto
Baltimore
Tampa Bay

Minnesota
Cleveland
Chicago
Detroit
Kansas City

Seattle
Oakland
Anaheim
Texas

Los Angeles Times

Strengths: With new ownership and a new manager, the Red Sox are sporting a more positive attitude. Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez are superstars who, if they remain sound, make the Red Sox contenders. OF Damon and Henderson add a dose of speed.

Weaknesses: As great as Martinez is, new Manager Grady Little still has to send four pitchers to the mound between his starts. Burkett, who will open the season on the disabled list, and Hermanson were brought in, but other teams in the division are hardly quaking. Garciaparra must prove he’s healthy and durable after playing only 21 games last season because of a torn wrist tendon.

Outlook: The Red Sox have a shot at the wild card if Martinez, Garciaparra and Ramirez remain injury-free.

Los Angeles Times Predictions

AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Chicago      Seattle     Atlanta       St. Louis    Arizona
Boston        Minnesota    Oakland     New York      Houston      San Francisco
Toronto       Cleveland    Anaheim     Philadelphia  Chicago      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Texas       Florida       Pittsburgh   San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
Cincinnati

Baltimore Sun Baseball Reporters Predictions

Joe Christensen

AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West
New York      Minnesota    Seattle     New York      St. Louis    San Francisco
Boston        Chicago      Oakland*    Atlanta       Houston*     Arizona
Toronto       Cleveland    Anaheim     Philadelphia  Chicago      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Texas       Florida       Cincinnati   San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Milwaukee    Colorado
                                                     Pittsburgh
World Series: Oakland over St. Louis
Roch Kubatko
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West 
New York      Chicago      Seattle     Atlanta       St. Louis    Arizona
Boston        Cleveland    Oakland*    New York*     Chicago      San Francisco
Toronto       Minnesota    Texas       Florida       Houston      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Kansas City  Anaheim     Philadelphia  Cincinnati   Colorado
Tampa Bay     Detroit                  Montreal      Milwaukee    San Diego
                                                     Pittsburgh
World Series: New York Yankees over St. Louis
Peter Schmuck
AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West 
New York      Cleveland    Seattle     Atlanta       St. Louis    San Francisco
Boston        Minnesota    Texas*      New York*     Chicago      Arizona
Toronto       Chicago      Oakland     Florida       Houston      Los Angeles
Baltimore     Detroit      Anaheim     Montreal      Cincinnati   San Diego
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Philadelphia  Pittsburgh   Colorado
                                                     Milwaukee
World Series: St. Louis over New York Yankees

American League East Capsules
Mitch Rubin, Washington Post

Boston Red Sox

For the Defense: After a season in which star SS Nomar Garciaparra played only 21 games and emerging star C Jason Varitek only 51, simply getting them back and healthy will dramatically improve the defense. With Garciaparra’s wrist fully healed, he can once again dazzle defensively and the acquisition of SS-turned-2B Rey Sanchez will quickly enable Boston fans to forget the less-than-dynamite middle infield combo of Mike Lansing-Jose Offerman. The free agent signing of Johnny Damon dramatically improves the outfield in a couple of ways. CF Damon is an outstanding fielder despite his average arm, and it allows Trot Nixon to return to right field, where he is much more comfortable and has played very well in the past.

Bottom Line: New owner. New GM. New manager. The Red Sox have undergone a personality makeover this offseason. Will it translate to a clubhouse that was ready to explode late in 2001? Little, who is universally portrayed as a players’ coach, takes over a team that can hit top to bottom, but still has pitching problems — after its number one starter, Pedro Martinez (7-3, 2.39). They signed RHP John Burkett from the Braves (12-12, 3.04) and traded for Cardinals RHP Dustin Hermanson (14-13, 4.45). Burkett, who will start the season on the DL because of shoulder inflammation, is 32-35 in the AL (109-84 in the NL) and Hermanson is a .500 pitcher (61-61). Derek Lowe (5-10, 3.53) and Frank Castillo (10-9, 4.21) fill out a rotation that — for the 84th consecutive year — Boston fans hope will bring them a World Series championship.

Chicago Tribune — American League Picks
and
Chicago Tribune — National League Picks
Rick Morrissey, Phil Rogers, Paul Sullivan, Teddy Greenstein

                    RM          PR            PS            TG
AL East             Yankees     Yankees       Yankees       Yankees
AL Central          Cleveland   Minnesota     Chicago       Chicago
AL West             Oakland     Oakland       Seattle       Seattle
AL Wild Card        Seattle     Seattle       Boston        Boston
NL East             Mets        Atlanta       Atlanta       Atlanta
NL Central          St. Louis   St. Louis     St. Louis     Houston
NL West             Arizona     San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco
NL Wild Card        Atlanta     Houston       Arizona       Mets
AL Pennant          Yankees     Oakland       Seattle       Yankees
NL Pennant          St. Louis   Atlanta       San Francisco St. Louis
World Series        Yankees     Atlanta       Seattle       Yankees
AL MVP              ARodriguez  MOrdonez      MOrdonez      Garciaparra
NL MVP              THelton     GSheffield    CJones        GSheffield
AL Cy Young         PMartinez   MMussina      PMartinez     MMussina
NL Cy Young         RJohnson    RJohnson      KWood         TGlavine
AL Rookie           CPena       HBlalock      NJohnson      CPena
NL Rookie           MPrior      CHernandez    JBeckett      JBeckett
AL Manager          JTorre      RGardenhire   LPinella      GLittle
NL Manager          TLaRussa    FRobinson     DBaker        JTorborg
AL Batting Champ    PKonerko    ISuzuki       ISuzuki       MSweeney
NL Batting Champ    CJones      THelton       BAbreu        LGonzalez

Cleveland Plain Dealer Staff Predictions
Roger Brown, Burt Graeff, Paul Hoynes, Bill Livingston, Dennis Manoloff, Bud Shaw

             RB            BG            PH         BL         DM            BS
AL East      Yankees       Yankees       Yankees    Yankees    Yankees       Yankees
AL Central   Chicago       Chicago       Chicago    Chicago    Chicago       Chicago
AL West      Texas         Oakland       Seattle    Seattle    Oakland       Oakland
AL Wild Card Seattle       Seattle       Oakland    Boston     Boston        Seattle
NL East      Mets          Atlanta       Mets       Mets       Atlanta       Atlanta
NL Central   St. Louis     St. Louis     Houston    St. Louis  St. Louis     St. Louis
NL West      Los Angeles   San Francisco Arizona    Arizona    San Francisco Arizona
NL Wild Card San Francisco Arizona       St. Louis  Atlanta    Cubs          Mets
AL Pennant   Yankees       Yankees       Seattle    Yankees    Oakland       Yankees
NL Pennant   Mets          St. Louis     St. Louis  St. Louis  San Francisco Arizona
World Series Mets          Yankees       Seattle    Yankees    San Francisco Yankees
AL MVP       ARodriguez    JGiambi       ARodriguez JGiambi    MRamirez      ISuzuki
NL MVP       MPiazza       APujols       SSosa      SSosa      MPiazza       GSheffield
AL Cy Young  MMussina      RClemens      MMussina   THudson    MMulder       MMussina
NL Cy Young  MMorris       RJohnson      CSchilling CSchilling ROswalt       CSchilling
AL Manager   JNarron       JManuel       GLittle    GLittle    GLittle       JManuel
NL Manager   JTracy        TLaRussa      TLaRussa   DBaylor    DBaylor       DBaker

Denver Post

The upside: Despite turmoil and injuries to Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra, the Red Sox were leading the wild-card race into August last season. This year, there is calm, not chaos, in the clubhouse and Martinez and Garciaparra are healthy.

The downside: It’s tough to overcome the Yanks in the AL East with John Burkett and Dustin Hermanson as your No. 2 and 3 starters.

Need a big year from: Martinez. If he’s Pedro, he’ll win the Cy Young and the Red Sox will contend. If he goes down, the Red Sox are done.

American League and National League
Marty Noble, Newsday

American League                        National League

East         Central       West        East           Central       West
New York     Chicago       Seattle     Atlanta        St. Louis     San Francisco
Boston       Minnesota     Oakland     New York       Houston       Arizona
Toronto      Cleveland     Anaheim     Florida        Chicago       Los Angeles
Tampa Bay    Kansas City   Texas       Philadelphia   Cincinnati    San Diego
Baltimore    Detroit                   Montreal       Milwaukee     Colorado
Pittsburgh

Red Sox: Even with all the change – ownership, the general manager, the manager, Johnny Damon, Tony Clark, John Burkett, Dustin Hermanson, Rickey Henderson, Jason Varitek healthy again and no more Coney, Sabes or Carl Everett – it’s the same for the Sox. Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez are the pivotal players.

Martinez can be the best pitcher in the game. But the Sox don’t have a legit No. 2. Burkett and Hermanson are 3’s, maybe. Frank Castillo is a No. 5, Derek Lowe a displaced reliever and Tim Wakefield an unwanted option.

With No. 3 hitter Garciaparra and No. 4 Manny Ramirez and Damon leading off – when Henderson doesn’t – teammates will pay to bat No. 2. First baseman Clark isn’t much protection for Ramirez unless he regains his 1997-99 form.

Baseball Preview
Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

American League                        National League

East         Central       West        East           Central       West
New York     Minnesota     Oakland     New York       St. Louis     San Francisco
Toronto      Cleveland     Seattle     Atlanta        Chicago       Arizona
Boston
       Chicago       Texas       Philadelphia   Houston       Los Angeles
Baltimore    Detroit       Anaheim     Florida        Cincinnati    San Diego
Tampa Bay    Kansas City               Montreal       Milwaukee     Colorado
Pittsburgh

Red Sox have new ownership, a new general manager and a new manager but face the same old question: Can they overtake the Yankees? Doubtful. And that will change to “impossible” if Martinez, who has spent time on the disabled list in each of the past three seasons, goes down again. … Primarily because Garciaparra hurt his wrist and had only 83 at-bats, they were 15-23 against left-handed starters. … Ramirez hit just .259 after the All-Star break. … Damon, who had a subpar season in Oakland, was a solid offensive performer with Kansas City before going to the Athletics. He’ll have Rickey Henderson to teach him about being a leadoff hitter.

The Guy in the Stand’s Predictions
Steve Ziants, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

AL East: New York Yankees — Repeat in the AL East and return to the World Series.
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
AL West: Oakland Athletics
AL wild card: Seattle Mariners — They not only won’t win 116 games, they won’t win 100. But they’ll win enough to beat out Boston.
NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals — Look for them to be playing a home-and-home with the Yankees in October.
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL wild card: Houston Astros

Baseball Preview
John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle

Outlook: The team was sold. GM Dan Duquette was fired. Mike Port became the interim GM. Manager Joe Kerrigan was fired. Mike Cubbage became the interim manager. Little replaced Cubbage. Little dumped pitching coach Ralph Treuel and hired Tony Cloninger. And it all happened in one lively spring training. The following lineup includes Henderson, but he might start between two and four games a week, usually against lefties. When he’s out, Brian Daubach will be the DH.

March 30, 2002

Red Sox Preview
Art Martone, Providence Journal

Where will they finish? Second.

Why second? Why not first? I just think the Yankees are too strong. Their starting rotation, top to bottom, might be the best in baseball. Their closer is the best in baseball. They added one of baseball’s best hitters in Jason Giambi …

Is it possible for the Sox to beat out the Yankees? Oh, sure. New York’s rotation is pretty long in the tooth, and breakdowns by one or more of their key people aren’t out of the question. … Plus, the Yanks are overdue for the type of catastrophic-injury lightning bolt that struck the Sox three times last year.

Forget the division. What about the wild-card? I think the Sox will be in the thick of the wild-card race. Their main competition figures to come from the A.L. West, either Seattle or Oakland.

What are the Sox’ strengths? One of the best outfields in baseball. Dramatically improved defense up the middle. What should be a solid if unspectacular starting rotation. A deep bullpen. They have a little bit of speed. The Garciaparra-Ramirez-Clark-Nixon middle of the order can carry the offense, particularly with Damon (and, against lefties, Henderson) setting the table.

What are their weaknesses? If Pedro Martinez isn’t Pedro Martinez, their rotation goes from being a strength to something of a neutral factor . . . or worse, if, as last year, the lack of innings-eaters puts too much stress on the bullpen. (It’s hoped, of course, that Lowe and Hermanson will go deeper into games than the pitchers they replaced, Cone and Nomo. That may also depend on managerial philosophy, and we don’t yet know how quick Grady Little’s hook will be.)

They figure to be below-average offensively at second base, no matter what, and the best they can probably hope for at third base is league-average production.

Are the weaknesses enough to sink them? A non-Pedro starting rotation might, but they can overcome the rest of it.

What’s the highest number of games this team can win? As I wrote a few weeks ago, a quick and superficial look at the STATS projections has them at 103-59. That’s just too high, considering the weaknesses we just discussed; 100-win teams generally don’t have that many question marks. I would think mid-90s is more realistic as an upper number.

Will it be enough? Hey, mid-90s is pretty good. It probably won’t be good enough to beat the Yankees, but it might be good enough for the wild-card.

Dan McLaughlin, Baseball Crank
Providence Journal

American League                        National League

East         Central       West        East           Central       West
New York     Chicago       Seattle     Atlanta        St. Louis     Arizona
Boston       Minnesota     Oakland     New York       Houston       Colorado
Toronto      Cleveland     Texas       Philadelphia   Chicago       San Francisco
Tampa Bay    Kansas City   Anaheim     Florida        Cincinnati    San Diego
Baltimore    Detroit                   Montreal       Milwaukee     Los Angeles
Pittsburgh

Includes a TON of comments:

Another boring, same-as-last-year’s-predictions division. I’ve been through the Yanks and Sox already; the return (or not) of Pedro remains the biggest question mark in the game. One interesting subplot will be whether the Yankees have the patience to break in Nick Johnson if he doesn’t come roaring out of the gate the way Soriano did last season; the answer, like the treatment of Ted Lilly, will say a lot about the sustainabilty of the current dynasty.

The Postseason: I’m not going to try predicting the postseason in March again, except to say that it’s been nearly 40 years since the fifth and most recent October meeting of baseball’s two most successful postseason franchises. The Cards lead the Yankees 3-2, if you’re keeping score. My pick, assuming there’s a postseason instead of a strike: the Yankees beat the Cards. Hey, I said they were the preseason favorite. I’ll be happy to be proven wrong.

USA TODAY writers make their American League picks

               East     Central    West      Wild card  ALCS      NLCS       World Series
Mel Antonen    Yankees  Twins      Mariners  Athletics  Yankees   Cardinals  Yankees
Rod Beaton     Yankees  Twins      Athletics Mariners   Athletics Atlanta    Athletics
Hal Bodley     Yankees  Twins      Mariners  Athletics  Yankees   Cardinals  Yankees
Steve Gardner  Yankees  White Sox  Mariners  Athletics  Yankees   Astros     Yankees
Chuck Johnson  Yankees  White Sox  Mariners  Red Sox    Yankees   Cardinals  Cardinals
               MVP             Cy Young        Rookie             Manager
Mel Antonen    Jason Giambi    Mark Mulder     Hank Blalock, Tex  Ron Gardenhire, Twins
Rod Beaton     Alex Rodriguez  Pedro Martinez  Hank Blalock, Tex  Ron Gardenhire, Twins
Hal Bodley     Jason Giambi    Mark Mulder     Eric Hinske, Tor   Ron Gardenhire, Twins
Steve Gardner  Jason Giambi    Tim Hudson      Hank Blalock, Tex  Jerry Manuel, White Sox
Chuck Johnson  Alex Rodriguez  Mike Mussina    Carlos Pena, A's   Jerry Manuel, White Sox

USA TODAY writers make their National League picks

              East     Central    West         Wild card  NLCS      ALCS      World Series
Mel Antonen   Atlanta  Cardinals  Diamondbacks Dodgers    Cardinals Yankees   Yankees 
Rod Beaton    Atlanta  Astros     Giants       Mets       Atlanta   Athletics Athletics
Hal Bodley    Atlanta  Cardinals  Diamondbacks Phillies   Cardinals Yankees   Yankees 
Steve Gardner Atlanta  Astros     Diamondbacks Cardinals  Astros    Yankees   Yankees 
Chuck Johnson Mets     Cardinals  Giants       Atlanta    Cardinals Yankees   Cardinals
               MVP             Cy Young        Rookie                 Manager
Mel Antonen    Luis Gonzalez   Matt Morris     Sean Burroughs, SD     Tony LaRussa, StL
Rod Beaton     Gary Sheffield  Randy Johnson   Sean Burroughs, SD     Jimy Williams, Astros
Hal Bodley     Sammy Sosa      Curt Schilling  Josh Beckett, Marlins  Jeff Torborg, Marlins
Steve Gardner  Sammy Sosa      Curt Schilling  Morgan Ensberg, Astros Jimy Williams, Astros
Chuck Johnson  Sammy Sosa      Randy Johnson   Josh Beckett, Marlins  Bobby Valentine, Mets

Staff predictions
SportsLine.com

Scott Miller is SportsLine.com’s senior baseball writer. Charlie McCarthy is SportsLine.com’s senior baseball producer. Adam Reich is SportsLine.com’s baseball production manager. Eric Mack is one of SportsLine.com’s newsroom editors. Tristan Cockcroft is one of SportsLine.com’s Fantasy Baseball writers.

American League
* – wild card; bold – pennant winner

AL East    Miller      McCarthy   Reich      Mack        Cockcroft 
Yankees     Yankees    Yankees    Yankees     Yankees
           Red Sox     Red Sox*   Red Sox*   Red Sox*    Red Sox
Blue Jays   Devil Rays Blue Jays  Blue Jays   Blue Jays
Devil Rays  Orioles    Devil Rays Orioles     Orioles
Orioles     Blue Jays  Orioles    Devil Rays  Devil Rays

AL Central Miller      McCarthy   Reich      Mack        Cockcroft
Twins       Twins      White Sox  Twins       Twins
Cleveland   White Sox  Twins      Cleveland   Cleveland
White Sox   Cleveland  Cleveland  White Sox   White Sox
Royals      Royals     Royals     Royals      Royals
Tigers      Tigers     Tigers     Tigers      Tigers

AL West    Miller      McCarthy   Reich      Mack        Cockcroft
Mariners    Athletics  Mariners   Athletics   Mariners
Athletics*  Mariners   Athletics  Rangers     Athletics*
Angels      Angels     Rangers    Mariners    Angels
Rangers     Rangers    Angels     Angels      Rangers

AL Awards  Miller      McCarthy     Reich       Mack        Cockcroft
MVP        JGiambi     Garciaparra  DJeter      MRamirez    DJeter
Cy Young   MMussina    MMussina     PMartinez   THudson     MMussina
Rookie     CPena       HBlalock     HBlalock    Cuddyer     HBlalock
Manager    Gardenhire  Howe         Gardenhire  Gardenhire  Gardenhire
Comeback   Garciaparra FThomas      FThomas     Garciaparra PMartinez
Bust       CEverett    CHPark       RWhite      RSierra     CHPark
HR Champ   CDelgado    MRamirez     MRamirez    ARodriguez  CDelgado
National League
* - wild card; bold - pennant winner
NL East    Miller      McCarthy     Reich       Mack        Cockcroft 
           Atlanta     Mets         Mets        Atlanta     Atlanta
           Mets        Marlins      Atlanta     Mets*       Mets
           Phillies    Atlanta      Marlins     Marlins     Marlins
           Marlins     Phillies     Phillies    Phillies    Phillies
           Expos       Expos        Expos       Expos       Expos
NL Central Miller      McCarthy     Reich       Mack        Cockcroft
           Cardinals   Cardinals    Cardinals   Cardinals   Cardinals
           Astros*     Cubs*        Astros      Astros      Astros
           Cubs        Astros       Cubs        Cubs        Cubs
           Brewers     Reds         Brewers     Reds        Reds
           Reds        Brewers      Reds        Brewers     Brewers
           Pirates     Pirates      Pirates     Pirates     Pirates
NL West    Miller      McCarthy     Reich       Mack        Cockcroft
           D-Backs     D-Backs      Giants      D-Backs     D-Backs
           Giants      Giants       D-Backs*    Giants      Giants*
           Padres      Padres       Dodgers     Dodgers     Dodgers
           Dodgers     Dodgers      Rockies     Padres      Padres
           Rockies     Rockies      Padres      Rockies     Rockies
NL Awards   Miller     McCarthy      Reich      Mack        Cockcroft
MVP         Bonds      Sosa          Bonds      Piazza      LGonzalez
Cy Young    Morris     RJohnson      RJohnson   Morris      RJohnson
Rookie      Burroughs  Burroughs     Burroughs  Beckett     Beckett
Manager     LaRussa    Torborg       Baker      Cox         Torborg
Comeback    MVaughn    MVaughn       MVaughn    MVaughn     MVaughn
Bust        Canseco    Hampton       Ishii      Burroughs   Mesa
HR Champ    Sosa       Sosa          Sosa       Sosa        Sosa
World Series Miller    McCarthy      Reich      Mack        Cockcroft
             Yankees   Red Sox       Cardinals  Mets        Yankees

Fearless predictions
Sports Illustrated

SI scribes take a stab at what the 2002 season has in store It’s never too early for predictions. Sports Illustrated’s three wise men — Tom Verducci, Jeff Pearlman and Stephen Cannella — step up to the plate and select their studs and few duds for the upcoming season.

                 Tom Verducci        Stephen Cannella      Jeff Pearlman
AL MVP           Jason Giambi        Jason Giambi          Eric Chavez
NL MVP           Gary Sheffield      Chipper Jones         Ryan Klesko
AL Cy Young      Barry Zito          Mark Mulder           Pedro Martinez
NL Cy Young      Matt Morris         Matt Morris           Shawn Estes
AL Rookie        Jon Rauch           Carlos Pena           Carlos Pena
NL Rookie        Josh Beckett        Sean Burroughs        Josh Beckett
AL HR Leader     Alex Rodriguez      Alex Rodriguez        Troy Glaus
NL HR Leader     Ken Griffey Jr.     Sammy Sosa            Gary Sheffield
AL Batting       Ichiro Suzuki       Nomar Garciaparra     Ichiro Suzuki
NL Batting       Todd Helton         Todd Helton           Jose Vidro
AL Wins          Mike Mussina        Freddy Garcia         Tim Hudson
NL Wins          Russ Ortiz          Curt Schilling        Matt Morris
AL Comeback      Frank Thomas        Darin Erstad          Ryan Rupe
NL Comeback      Mike Lieberthal     Kevin Millwood        Jeffrey Hammonds
AL Overrated     Raul Mondesi        Tony Batista          Carlos Delgado
NL Overrated     Jason Kendall       Jason Kendall         Craig Biggio
AL Underrated    Mike Sweeney        Keith Foulke          Jeff Conine
NL Underrated    Juan Pierre         Fernando Vina         Brian Giles
AL Breakout      Toby Hall           Eric Chavez           David Ortiz
NL Breakout      J.D. Drew           Adrian Beltre         Adam Dunn
AL Surprise      Angels              Angels                Tigers
NL Surprise      Marlins             Marlins               Padres
AL Disappointing Cleveland           Cleveland             White Sox 
NL Disappointing Mets                Mets                  Diamondbacks
AL Manager       Mike Scioscia       Ron Gardenhire        Ron Gardenhire
NL Manager       Bruce Bochy         Jim Tracy             Jim Tracy
First AL
Manager Fired    Jerry Narron        Buck Martinez         Tony Muser
First NL 
Manager Fired    Bob Boone           Lloyd McClendon       Davey Lopes
AL Divisions     NYY, CWS, Sea       NYY, Min, Sea         NYY, Min, Oak
NL Divisions     Atl, StL, Arz       Phi, StL, Arz         NYM, StL, LAD
AL Wild Card     A's                 A's                   Angels
NL Wild Card     Astros              Atlanta               Atlanta
ALCS             NYY over CWS        NYY over Sea          Min over Oak
NLCS             StL over Hou        StL over Arz          NYM over Atl
World Series     NYY over StL        NYY over StL          Min over NYM

Opening Day Here We Come
Peter Gammons, espn.com

Boston There is so much that is better about this team, from ownership’s respect for the fans to an attempt to bring the business and baseball operations past the Eisenhower Era.

Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon and Manny Ramirez is a dynamite outfield. Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Tony Clark were healthy this spring. They’re going to score runs, but everything comes down to the health of the pitching, starting with Pedro Martinez. In his last start Wednesday, he dropped down and found his slingshot, low three-quarter arm slot and regained the movement on his fastball. But there is a tear in that shoulder. Thus, can he stay healthy? No one knows.

Derek Lowe has grown up and can be the No. 2 starter, but John Burkett’s admission that the stiffness in his right shoulder is the worst he’s had in the spring which isn’t encouraging. And while Dustin Hermanson has the heart, there are doubts in Fenway, and there are concerns about Ugueth Urbina’s shoulder holding up, with no closer behind him. With no minor-league system to speak of and a brutal roster for the $110 million price, they are going to have a tough time going out and making deals, although youngster Juan Pena may be their fourth starter, quickly.

Here are the predictions, which will be worthless by Tuesday night:

AL East       AL Central   AL West     NL East       NL Central   NL West 
New York      Minnesota    Seattle     Atlanta       St. Louis    San Francisco 
Boston        Cleveland    Oakland     New York      Houston      Arizona 
Toronto       Chicago      Anaheim     Philadelphia  Chicago      Colorado 
Baltimore     Detroit      Texas       Florida       Cincinnati   Los Angeles 
Tampa Bay     Kansas City              Montreal      Pittsburgh   San Diego    
                                                     Milwaukee
Best Divisions: AL West and NL Central
Most Valuable Players:       Magglio Ordonez      Sammy Sosa
Cy Young Awards:             Tim Hudson           Roy Oswalt
Rookie of the Year           Nick Johnson         Sean Burroughs

Things we love in spring training …
5. Aaron Boone, for being Aaron Boone. …
7. David Segui’s fingernails. …

[?!?!?]

Back to Home.

 

� 1997-20243 by Allan Wood.