BT'S AMERICAN LEAGUE PREDICTIONS

Welcome to BesTalk's 2010 predictions for the Major League Baseball season. We're going to split this up between myself and Seung. I'll tackle the AL, he'll do the NL, and do them in our own way.

Here now are my AL Predictions...

AL EAST

1-New York Yankees (98 wins)

Well, this wasn't a stretch. Yes, the champs lost two of their clutch players, but they gained a more youthful slugger in center with Curtis Granderson, and a #4 starter that received Cy Young votes last year. Add to that an on-base machine in Nick Johnson, and you have some great elements to be able to repeat for a Division title.

2-Tampa Bay Rays (92 wins)

Having lived through their disappointment last season after reaching the World Series one year prior, the Rays are poised to make a jump in the AL East over Boston. They have youth on their side, and more experience now. They added Rafael Soriano to close out of their bullpen, giving them their first real threat out there since they began their rise. They've tasted the glory, had their comedown, but now are ready for more, too bad the Yanks stand in their way.

3-Boston Red Sox (89 wins)

The Sox solidified their rotation with John Lackey and added Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre, and Marco Scutaro to help their defense, but I believe their offense won't be as potent as it once was. Maybe I'm blind to the fact that the defensive additions aren't actually that bad offensively, but Jason Bay was brought here to replace Mannywood for a reason, and now he's gone, too. To me, that alone will allow the Rays to move ahead.

4-Baltimore Orioles (80 wins)

Here's a team on the rise, but in this division it'll take a meteoric one to compete with the top three. Their offense is getting better, and may be a piece or two away from really competing. Their pitching is young, but ranked well among prospects, and the addition of Kevin Millwood will deflect pressure off of them. This isn't their year, but they will be a team to watch.

5-Toronto Blue Jays (69 wins)

The Jays have a lot of talent coming, but right now that talent needs to grow-up. Roy Halladay kept them afloat for a long time, but now that he's gone, the next few seasons may be tough.

AL CENTRAL

1-Detroit Tigers (89 wins)

Not much love for the Tigers, but they have enough weapons to take this three team horse race. I like their rotation for one, with Verlander being the best pitcher in the division, Porcello is going to be better, and I'm predicting Willis to make a comeback. They also have an interesting mix of vets sprinkled with youngsters in their line-up. I love rookie Austin Jackson followed by Johnny Damon at the top, and with Miguel Cabrera behind them that's the start of a good offense.

2-Chicago White Sox (88 wins)

Sure, they have the best rotation in the division, possibly the league, and possibly the entire MLB, but I just have a weird feeling that this team will fall short. I'm not a big fan fan of their offense, though, aside from a few players. So can their pitching carry them to at least the Wild Card? Not in this league.

3-Minnesota Twins (86 wins)

The Twins have a fantastic line-up, a very decent, if unsexy, rotation, but the loss of Joe Nathan may be hard to overcome. Jon Rauch takes over, but for how long? Who knows. If they can pull off a trade for a legit closer by the trade deadline, then maybe this team can take this division.

4-Cleveland Indians (73 wins)

Cleveland will be an interesting team to watch this year, a year after getting rid of two of their three major stars. They still have Grady Sizemore, and Shin-Soo Choo may become a star, but they have a lot of question marks and a weak rotation anchored by Jake Westbrook, who hasn't pitched in two years!

5-Kansas City Royals (66 wins)

That said, they are still better than the Royals, who, other than Zach Greinke and Joakim Soria, are a pretty bad team with no real depth. I don't see them climbing out of their hole for a while.

AL WEST

1-Seattle Mariners (94 wins)

Yes, this is the sexy pick of the year, so I'm sorry if I agree with it. I love the combo of King Felix and Cliff Lee even though the rest of the rotation is rather suspect. I like their bullpen with Brandon League now in the mix in front of David Aardsma. Their offense is much better, too, with the speedy catalyst Chone Figgins running after Ichiro, and Milton Bradley adds a bit of pop to the middle of the order. Franklin Gutierrez is getting better and better on both sides of the field, and they also added a good fielder in Casey Kotchman. Why wouldn't I pick them?

2-Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (93 wins)

Well, I'd guess the Angels will have something to say about that, but losing Lackey, Figgins, and Vlad are big blows. I predict Joel Pineiro to be a bust, and Matsui, who I love, to decline somewhat; especially if he plays the field. If neither of those happens, then they will still be good, but I still think Seattle pulls it out.

3-Texas Rangers (84 wins)

This team can bop, but can they pitch? Scott Feldman will open with Rich Harden following, but we shall see. They do have a lot of depth there, but they are all unproven kids. Once the pitching matures, this team may cruise to the top. Even now they're going to give it a go.

4-Oakland A's (76 wins)

The kids in Oakland are growing, but they have awhile to go. They have some offense and some pitching, but not enough of both just yet, or rather, not enough with the proper seasoning. So this team will continue to experience growing pains for awhile.

WILD CARD

For once, I think the AL Wild Card comes out of a different division than the AL East. My pick is the Angels. While the Mariners will beat them out, the Angels will win a lot of games and will continue their post season love affair.

MVP

He bludgeoned his post season demons last year, and now seems poised for another MVP. Yep, I'm talking about AROD. This man has gone through all sorts of things in the past year, and as this spring has proven, it's never really quiet for him. He's proven, though, he knows how to shut everything down, and concentrate on baseball. When he does that, he's one of the best in the game. I predict this will be one of those years.

CY YOUNG

I'm pretty in love with Justin Verlander. The guy is a strike-out machine, and just like the Tigers, I think this could be his year to move to new ground. He has the tools to do it, and I can see Greinke and King Felix stepping back a tad this year. If Cliff Lee is healthy, he'll give Verlander his biggest competition.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

My ROY prediction will be Austin Jackson of the Detroit Tigers. The starting CF and lead-off man has the opportunity to literally run away with this award, and show the Yankees the error of their ways. I've looked forward to this kid's debut for a long time, and I believe he will not disappoint.

PLAYOFFS AND WORLD SERIES

A Yankee-Angel rematch seems to be on tap for the Division Series, but once again the Yanks should advance. A Mariners-Tigers match-up could yield some fantastic results, to which I give the nod to the Mariners. So is this the year the Mariners get to the Series? Nope, the Yankees are still too strong, and look to be poised for return to the Series.

As for the NL, as much as I love the Phillies' squad with Roy Halladay leading the staff, I think this is the Rockies' year overall. They have the most complete squad, and a return to the World Series is imminent. I see a Rockies-Yankees series coming, and while I'll be hard-pressed to give Colorado the nod over my Yankees (and definitely not rooting for that), I will go ahead and give it to them. They just remind me too much of the D'Backs and Marlins, both of whom shocked the Yanks.