NBA Preview

The follow is my prediction for the finishing order of each division in the NBA.


ATLANTIC
1- New Jersey Nets
2- Boston Celtics
3- Toronto Raptors
4- New York Knicks
5- Philadelphia 76ers

CENTRAL
1- Detroit Pistons
2- Chicago Bulls
3- Cleveland Cavaliers
4- Milwaukee Bucks
5- Indiana Pacers

SOUTHEAST
1- Miami Heat
2- Washington Wizards
3- Orlando Magic
4- Charlotte Bobcats
5- Atlanta Hawks

SOUTHWEST
1- San Antonio Spurs
2- Dallas Mavericks
3- New Orleans Hornets
4- Houston Rockets
5- Memphis Grizzlies

NORTHWEST
1- Denver Nuggets
2- Seattle Supersonics
3- Utah Jazz
4- Minnesota Timberwolves
5- Portland Trailblazers

PACIFIC
1- Phoenix Suns
2- Golden State Warriors
3- Los Angeles Clippers
4- Los Angeles Lakers
5- Sacramento Kings


The following is my prediction for how each team will finish within their respective conferences:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1- Detroit Pistons
2- Miami Heat
3- New Jersey Nets
4- Chicago Bulls
5- Cleveland Cavaliers
6- Washington Wizards
7- Orlando Magic
8- Boston Celtics
9- Toronto Raptors
10- New York Knicks
11- Philadelphia 76ers
12- Milwaukee Bucks
13- Indiana Pacers
14- Charlotte Bobcats
15- Atlanta Hawks

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1- Phoenix Suns
2- San Antonio Spurs
3- Denver Nuggets
4- Dallas Mavericks
5- Golden State Warriors
6- Seattle Supersonics
7- Utah Jazz
8- New Orleans Hornets
9- Los Angeles Clippers
10- Los Angeles Lakers
11- Houston Rockets
12- Minnesota Timberwolves
13- Sacramento Kings
14- Portland Trailblazers
15- Memphis Grizzlies


PLAYOFFS
Eastern Conference
Round 1
#1 Detroit v #8 Boston - Detroit in 4
#2 Miami v. #7 Orlando - Miami in 4
#3 New Jersey v. #6 Washington - Washington in 5
#4 Chicago v. #5 Cleveland - Cleveland in 5

Round 2
#1 Detroit v. #6 Washington - Detroit in 5
#2 Miami v. #5 Cleveland - Cleveland in 6

Round 3
#1 Detroit v. #5 Cleveland - Cleveland in 6


Western Conference
Round 1
#1 Phoenix v. #8 New Orleans - Phoenix in 3
#2 San Antonio v. #7 Utah - San Antonio in 4
#3 Denver v. #6 Seattle - Denever in 4
#4 Dallas v. #5 Golden State - Dallas in 5

Round 2
#1 Phoenix v. #4 Dallas - Phoenix in 6
#2 San Antonio v. #3 Denver - San Antonio in 6

Round 3
#1 Phoenix v. #2 San Antonio - Phoenix in 7


NBA FINALS
Clevland Cavaliers v. Phoenix Suns - Phoenix in 6

NHL Preview

The follow is my prediction for the finishing order of each division in the NHL.


ATLANTIC
1- New York Rangers
2- Pittsburgh Penguins
3- New Jersey Devils
4- Philadelphia Flyers
5- New York Islanders

NORTHEAST
1- Ottawa Senators
2- Buffalo Sabres
3- Montreal Canadiens
4- Toronto Maple Leafs
5- Boston Bruins

SOUTHEAST
1- Carolina Hurricanes
2- Tampa Bay Lightning
3- Atlanta Thrashers
4- Washington Capitals
5- Florida Panthers

CENTRAL
1- Detroit Red Wings
2- Nashville Predators
3- Chicago Blackhawks
4- Columbus Blue Jackets
5- St. Louis Blues

NORTHWEST
1- Calgary Flames
2- Colorado Avalanche
3- Minnesota Wild
4- Vancouver Canucks
5- Edmonton Oilers

PACIFIC
1- Anaheim Ducks
2- San Jose Sharks
3- Dallas Stars
4- Los Angeles Kings
5- Phoenix Coyotes


The following is my prediction for how each team will finish within their respective conferences:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1- Ottawa Senators
2- New York Rangers
3- Carolina Hurricans
4- Pittsburgh Penguins
5- Buffalo Sabres
6- New Jersey Devils
7- Tampa Bay Lightning
8- Atlanta Thrashers
9- Philadelphia Flyers
10- Montreal Canadiens
11- Toronto Maple Leafs
12- Washington Capitals
13- Florida Panthers
14- New York Islanders
15- Boston Bruins

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1- Detroit Red Wings
2- Anaheim Ducks
3- Calgary Flames
4- San Jose Sharks
5- Nashville Predators
6- Colorado Avalanche
7- Minnesota Wild
8- Dallas Stars
9- Vancouver Canucks
10- Chicago Blackhawks
11- Los Angeles Kings
12- Columbus Blue Jackets
13- Edmonton Oilers
14- St. Louis Blues
15- Phoeniz Coyotes


PLAYOFFS
Eastern Conference
Round 1
#1 Ottawa v #8 Atlanta - Ottawa in 4
#2 Rangers v. #7 Tampa Bay - New York in 5
#3 Carolina v. #6 New Jersey - New Jersey in 6
#4 Pittsburgh v. #5 Buffalo - Pittsburgh in 7

Round 2
#1 Ottawa v. #6 New Jersey - Ottawa in 6
#2 Rangers v. #4 Pittsburgh - New York in 7

Round 3
#1 Ottawa v. #2 Rangers - Rangers in 6


Western Conference
Round 1
#1 Detroit v. #8 Dallas - Detroit in 6
#2 Anaheim v. #7 Minnesota - Anaheim in 5
#3 Calgary v. #6 Colorado - Calgary in 7
#4 San Jose v. #5 Nashville - San Jose in 6

Round 2
#1 Detroit v. #4 San Jose - San Jose in 6
#2 Anaheim v. #3 Calgary - Calgary in 7

Round 3
#3 Calgary v. #4 San Jose - San Jose in 7


STANLEY CUP FINALS
New York Rangers v. San Jose Sharks - New York in 7

NFL - 1st Quarter Rankings

For most of the teams in the NFL, a quarter of the season has past. 25% down, 75% left to play. At this point, some teams are still trying to find their identity, but we have a few teams that look to have already sealed their fate for the playoffs. Here is my ranking of all 32 teams.


1-
(4-0) There is no denying how well this team is playing. It doesn't look like anyone can stop their offense, and their defense seems to be able to stop everyone. Their average margin of victory is 25 points. In other words, they look unbeatable.

2-
(4-0) This has been the most impressive offense we have seen all year. Their defense isn't nearly as good as the Patriots', but their average margin of victory is nearly 20 points a game.

3-
(4-0) While they haven't been as dominating as the Patriots or the Cowboys, their offense is still clicking. Their defense is much improved from last year, and they are in a good position to return to the playoffs.

4-
(4-0) Brett Favre looks like the #4 of yesteryear. His passes are sharp and on the mark. Not only did he pass Marino's TD record, he looks like he is finally having some fun again. The defense is also playing extremely well, allowing only 16.5 points a game.

5-
(3-1) Though they faltered this past week against the Cardinals, they have still been a pretty dominating football team. They are beating their opponents by an average of 16 points, while their defense is stout again, allowing just under 12 points a game.

6-
(3-1) Another team that has faltered to Arizona, this team will be just fine. Their offense is solid, led by Matt Hasselbeck, who looks to be having another Pro Bowl year. He and the receivers are meshing much better this year. The defense has played relatively well too.

7-
(3-1) Think the Eagles regret not re-signing Jeff Garcia? Garcia looks just as sharp as he did last year for the Eagles. Defense is playing well. It will be interesting to see how this team responds after losing Cadillac Williams for the year.

8-
(2-1) After a week off, can this team feed off their victory over the Saints? I think they can. Vince Young has looked good and their defense has played well. These next 3 games (v. ATL, @ TB, @ HOU) will show what this team is really made of.

9-
(2-1) Their defense has been one of the best in the league. I'm not quite sure their offense is enough to be a serious contender this year. After a win this weekend in KC, they should continue to stay high in my rankings.

10-
(3-1) This has got to be the most surprising team in the NFL. We knew Kitna was a good quarterback, but their offense looks great. If they want to seriously think about making the playoffs, they are going to have to shore up that defense though. We saw what happens when they run into a good offense (ie. PHI in WK 3).

11-
(2-2) A lot of other sports sites have the Texans ranked toward the lower teens. Personally, I like this team. I like what Schaub has been doing at quarterback. They are one of only a few teams to score more than they give up. When Andre Johnson comes back, they'll be looking to get into the playoffs.

12-
(2-2) This Cardinals team has two pretty impressive victories over my #5 and #6 team. As was shown last year against the Bears, they have a decent team, they just need to learn how to put teams away. They may be one year off from the playoffs, but don't be surprised if they sneak in there this year.

13-
(2-2) Boy does this team look different than the one that played against the Cowboys and the Packers. Their defense has looked as good as any in their last two games. Eli's mediocre game should be able to survive yet another season if their defense continues on this path.

14-
(2-1) Maybe a week off is not what this team needed. The game they blew against the Giants has had time to really eat away at them. They have a talented team. They just need to really focus if they want to contend with the Cowboys (however unlikely that is).

15-
(2-2) This team is beyond frustrating. They have the talent, but under perform every week. So far their only wins have come against two awful teams. This week SHOULD be another win for them against NO, but if they fall, their season could be down the drains really quick.

16-
(2-2) I guess Brady Quinn is gonna be on the bench for a while huh? Derek Anderson has played very well, and Braylon Edwards has helped him look good. Their two wins are against playoff caliber teams.

17-
(2-2) Maybe Miami was a little hasty in running Culpepper out of town. As he showed this past weekend, his knee seems to be just fine. Now think, if they had only used their top pick on Calvin Johnson, how good this team might've been. With an easy division, they still have an outside shot at the playoffs.


18-
(2-2) In the past, this team has relied heavily on defense to win games. Lately, they haven't played well enough to mask the mistakes of their offense. This team is gonna have a hard time making it back to the playoffs this year.

19-
(2-2) I know that the Colts have had their number for quite some time, but WOW they looked bad this past weekend. Their two wins are against Buffalo and Oakland; nothing too impressive. Yet another team that will have trouble getting back to the playoffs.

20-
(2-2) This team is hard to figure out. They looked lifeless in their first two games, and after a sluggish win in Week 3, everything seemed to click against the Chargers. I still have trouble believing the ship is righted, but the past two weeks have been a step in the right direction.

21-
(2-2) Gore has looked pretty good, but without the protection of a passing game, he is gonna have a hard time carrying this team. They are still a middle of the road team, beating up on the weak teams, and getting pounded by the good teams. This team is still a year or two off from being playoff bound.

22-
(1-3) WOW that was embarrassing. 12 sacks in one game, 6 by the same person? After Week 3 against the Lions, everyone including myself thought this team would be back on the right track. I guess not. With Westbrook out, they stand to lose a lot of ground in the NFC East.

23-
(1-3) If they find a quarterback to lead this team, they could be a contender. With the talent they have in the backfield with Adrian Peterson (rookie of the year???) and a pretty good defense, they are one good quarterback away from making a push. Maybe next year.

24-
(1-3) As good as this offense is, it was clearly no match for a good defense, let alone the best defense out there. Match that with no defense themselves and fighting on the sidelines, this team is heading nowhere fast.

25-
(1-3) With failing to take advantage of opportunities, this year's Jets team is making last year's team look like a fluke. They were supposed to have shored up their secondary with the addition of Revis. While he has played well, the secondary looks awful, allowing a rookie quarterback to rip them apart. Why doesn't this team run the no huddle more often? It seems to work for them. While Pennington's #s have been good, they were brought down by his first 2 (untimely) interceptions of the season.

26-
(1-3) Last year, they had an offense that clicked and a defense that dominated. This year, their offense can't seem to do anything (including LT) and their defense (outside of a game against the awful Bears) doesn't seem to want to stop anybody. Think San Diego fans are wishing they had Schottenheimer back?

27-
(1-3) So we knew their Offense was horrible. It was actually an amazement to see them beat the Saints last year and go to the Superbowl. So their offensive woes are no surprise. What is a surprise is how unsturdy their defense is. Granted they have had to deal with some injuries and the loss of Tank Johnson, but this team looks to be heading towards the offseason, searching for a Quarterback.

28-
(1-3) So no Micheal Vick and no Matt Schaub. Bobby Petrino doesn't seem to mind much as he has been getting a lot out of Joey Harrington. At 1-3 they still have a ways to go, but a win against the Texans was a step in the right direction. We'll see if they take another step forward this weekend, or if Vince Young tears apart their defense.

29-
(1-3) They pulled out their first win of the season, and the person that led them there was a rookie. They shouldn't feel all that happy though. They were shutout in the first half, and were lucky to come away with a win. They Jets let them off the hook. How bad this team is will show this weekend when they face the unbeaten Cowboys.

30-
(0-4) A lot of sites have Miami all the way at the bottom. I can't put them there because their offense at least appears to fight, which I cannot say for the two teams below them. Their defense is like swiss cheese, which is surprising with Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor there. Hopefully Thomas' injury is only minor and they can turn it around. Most likely they won't. Maybe they're missing a mobile quarterback? Ronnie Brown has looked pretty sharp though.

31-
(0-4) It is hard to believe that the Rams are this bad. They had a pretty good quarterback, some decent wideouts, and one of the league's best running backs. They look helpless and lifeless out there. They don't seem to care.

32-
(0-3) Finally, we reach the biggest disappointment of the year. The Saints look a lost team out there. Maybe Drew Brees is colorblind, and that is why he is always throwing to the other team. The loss of Deuce hurts them really bad, even with the talent they have in Reggie Bush. Their defense (which was pretty good last year) has already given up 103 points in only 3 games. That's nearly 35 points a game. Pair that with only having scored 38 points all season, this team is in trouble.

MLB End of the Year Awards

So, we have finally reached the end of the 2007 MLB Season. A 162 game season that had 163 games for 2 teams. A season that saw one of, if not the worst collapse in baseball history. A season that saw one league have all 4 playoff spots clinched before the other league had 1. Most of all, a season that displayed tremendous athletic ability. So, without further ado, here are my selections for the End of the Year Awards, along with my preseason picks. (Also, for the record, my division picks were not so hot. AL: NYY, DET, LAA, and MIN. NL: NYM, MIL, SD, and LAD)


AWARDS

AL MVP
And the award goes to: Alex Rodriguez NYY - This is not a terribly difficult pick to make. While there were other very deserving players who I will list in my also rans, Alex Rodriguez was the only thing keeping the Yankees afloat in the first 2.5 months of the season. He was winning games for them that they probably should have lost. The Yankees were 14.5 games back of Boston, and it would've been a lot worse had he not had the season he had. He batted .314, led the majors in runs scored (143), RBI (156), and homeruns (54). He became only the fifth player in the history of the sport to hit more than 50 HRs and drive in more than 150 runs. All this added to his 500th career homerun made this one special season for ARod, or as Yankee fans have been calling him lately, STAY Rod.

Also worthy of contention: Magglio Ordonez DET, Vladamir Guerrero LAA - Both men had outstanding years. Ordonez dominated AL pitching, compiling a batting average of .363. Pair that with a #4 showing in the AL in runs scored (117), #2 in the AL in RBI (139), #2 in hits behind only Ichiro (216), and #1 in MLB in doubles (54), Ordonez was one of the most impressive statistical players all year. But with Detroit fading out of the playoff picture, ARod seems more valuable. Guerrero also had a monster year statistically. A .324 batting average, 125 RBI, and 45 doubles all put Guerrero towards the top in AL. The Angels beneiftted from outstanding pitching which won a lot of games, hurting Guerrero in the MVP race.

Preseason Pick: Alex Rodriguez NYY - Hit this one square on the head.



NL MVP
And the award goes to: Matt Holliday COL - This race was just as close as all the division races in the National League. This race came down to three players for me, one from each division. Each were deserving, but Holliday took the cake for me for a couple of reasons. First, his stats. He led the NL in batting average (.340), was third in runs (119), was second in RBI (135), first in hits (216), first in doubles (50), fourth in homeruns (36). Secondly, he pretty much put the Rockies on his back and brought them to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. This was a team that not many people thought (if any) would make the playoffs. And of course, who scores the winning run (albeit controversial) in last night's elimination game against the Padres? Right, Holliday. He does it all.

Also worthy of contention: Ryan Howard PHI, Prince Fielder MIL - As I said earlier, anyone could've won this race. Both Howard and Fielder had monster seasons. Howard led the NL in RBI (136.. only 1 more than Holliday), and was second in the NL in homeruns (47). Fielder was seventh in the NL in runs scored (109), third in RBI (119), and first in homeruns (50). In my opinion, they lost this award in the way their teams finished the season. Milwaukee looked like it might make the playoffs for about 3/4 of the season. Then, they fell apart. As well as Fielder and Braun played, their pitching did them in. As for Philadelphia, yes they made the playoffs and I don't want to take anything away from them, but I think their making the playoffs had more to do with the Met collapse. Yes they played well against the mets destroying them in the season series. But, had the Mets won 2 more games, the Phillies wouldn't be here. So over the last 17 games, the Mets went 5-12. I don't think it's too much to ask for a supposed top tier team to go atleast 7-10 over a 17 game stretch.

Preseason Pick: Carlos Beltran NYM - Beltran looked great the first month or so of the season, and I thought I was going to go 2 for 2 in my MVP picks. LOL Oh how I was wrong!



AL Cy Young
And the award goes to: C.C. Sabathia CLE - This is another award that has many deserving candidates. Sabathia, in my opinion takes the award though. He was 19-7 (only one win behind the major league leader), with an ERA of 3.21 and 209 strikeouts. Pair that with the fact that he led the Indians to tie for the best record in baseball, he wins. His numbers are very similar to my #2 (one less win, a couple of points better on the ERA, and 15 more strikeouts).

Also worthy of contention: Josh Beckett BOS, John Lackey LAA, Eric Bedard BAL - Beckett is my #2 here. I think that he is just as deserving as Sabathia. Maybe it is my hatred of the Red Sox that keeps him from the award, but one more win doesn't mean you take the cake. He pitched extremely well and I find it hard to criticize anything he has done this season (20-7, 3.27 ERA, 194 SO). Lackey as well could easily be picked for the award (19-9, 3.01 ERA, 179 SO). An ERA of 3.01 was second only to Jake Peavy in all the Majors. Lastly, I don't necessarily think Bedard should win, but his season really needs to be recognized. Being the ace of a staff that is awful at best, Bedard compiled a 13-5 record, good for fifth best winning percentage in the AL. He also had an minute ERA of 3.16 while striking out 221, good for fourth in all the majors.

Preseason Pick: Johan Santana MIN - Although he was third in the majors in strikeouts, this was not the same dominating season we have all become accustomed to by Santana.



NL Cy Young
And the award goes to: Jake Peavy SD - This is probably the easiest pick of them all. Peavy, although unable to get a win for the Padres in the Elimination Game, dominated the National League bats all year. He was the only starting pitcher in the majors to have an ERA under 3 (2.54), he led the majors in strikeouts (240), and he led the National League in wins (19-6). In other awards, I have knocked people from winning because their team didn't make the playoffs. In this case, no one is even close to Peavy, so the award is his.

Also worthy of contention: Brandon Webb ARI, Brad Penny LAD, Aaron Harang CIN - These three had very good years, but are all competing for the also ran position, because none of them could touch Peavy. Webb put together another outstanding year (18-10, 3.01 ERA, 194 SO). Penny faltered very few times losing only 4 games all season (16-4, 3.03 ERA, 135 SO). Harang seemed to be one of the few shining lights on a Cincinatti team that was just down right awful this year (16-6, 3.73 ERA, 218 SO).

Preseason Pick: Ben Sheets MIL - Had he stayed healthy, this might've been a possibility, but he broke down and took himself out of this race rather early.

AL Manager of the Year
And the award goes to: Joe Torre NYY - Some people will call me a homer but what the Yankees accomplished this year was outstanding. And they did it by NOT being the Yankees of old. Part of how well they did can be put on ARod's shoulders. Another part can be put on Cashman's shoulders for not trading his young talent for old beat up players (ie. Eric Gagne). The last part can be put on Torre's shoulder. He was able to piece together lineups when many people were injured. He was willing to stick with youth over experience when he made the decision to keep Melky Cabrera as the everyday centerfielder. Rather than be the Torre of the past and rely too heavily on the experienced players, he actually made his decisions based on merit.

Also worthy of contention: Mike Scioscia LAA, Eric Wedge CLE - Scioscia is a perenial contender for this award. He gets a lot out of his team. Granted he is surrounded by a great pitching staff and a great team on the field, he just does a nice job of managing the ins and outs, the intangibles, so well. Wedge is mentioned here because he took his team and won the toughest division in baseball. When you have to play 18 games a year against the Twins and the Tigers, you have a hard road ahead of you. Again, a great pitching staff and talented team on the field, but Managers are like Quarterbacks in football. They get too much credit when they win, and too much blame when they lose. Leading a team to a tie for the best record in baseball while playing in the toughest division is a great feat.

Preseason Pick: Ron Gardenhire MIN - Minnesota either had an over achieving year last year, or an under achieving year this year. With the talent on that team, I would say they UNDER achieved this year, and unfortunately, Managers tend to get that blame, so Gardenhire is clearly not worthy of the Manager of the Year award.



NL Manager of the Year
And the award goes to: Lou Piniella CHC - There are many deserving managers in the NL this year. I give this award to Piniella because of the turnaround he got out of his club. The first month or two, this Cubs team looked to be heading straight to the cellar of the division. And that is hard to do considering how awful the NL Central is (PIT, CIN, HOU). After having to deal with teammates fighting in the dugout AND the clubhouse, Piniella turned this team around by doing what he does best; throw a temper tantrum. He went out on the field to argue a call, throwing hats, bumping people, kicking dirt around. It sure seemed to fire the Cubs up as they roared after that, taking first place away from the Brewers and never looking back.

Also worthy of contention: Bob Melvin ARI, Clint Hurdle COL, Ned Yost MIL - Bob Melvin is probably the best chance of these three to actually win the award. He took a Diamonbacks team that was picked to be middle of the road in the division, to a division title. Not only the NL West title, but the best team in the entire National League. That isn't saying much because the National League is the weaker league, but it is impressive none the less. Many people, including myself, thought that Arizona would be an improved team, but I don't think anyone expected this. Hurdle and Yost both managed well this year, helping their teams achieve winning records for the first time in a long time (2000 for Hurdle and the Rockies, 1992 for Yost and the Brewers).

Preseason Pick: Ned Yost MIL - I think that Ned Yost actually did a great job with this team. He managed to keep his team around the playoff picture for almost the entire season despite having little experience on the field, and a multitude of pitching woes, including injuries, poor starts, and blown saves. Overall, not a bad pick.



AL Rookie of the Year
And the award goes to: Dustin Pedroia BOS - While there were more rookies in the American League that produced than there were in the National League, Pedroia is the clear decision here. He batted .317, with 8 homeruns, 50 RBI, and 7 SB. Is it as impressive as the National League rookies? No. But it is more impressive than any other rookie in the American League. Not to mention how awful he was at the beginning of the season. To make the improvement in his rookie year is a testament to how good this kid is.

Also worthy of contention: Reggie Willits LAA, Hideki Okajima BOS, Daisuke Matsuzaka BOS, Brian Bannister KC - Willits had an outstanding rookie year, hitting .293, with 34 RBI and 27 stolen bases. He also had very few errors in the field and had a decent amount of outfield assists. The power numbers don't compare to Pedroia though, and well all know we are a society that lives on power numbers. Okajima had an outstanding year as well. The first half of the season he was untouchable, thrusting himself into position as the early favorite for this award. But stumbling a little towards the end of the season, combined with Pedroia surging on the same team doomed Okajima. Dice-K put together a relatively good year for a "rookie". He was 15-12 with an ERA of 4.40 and 201 strikeouts. He started off really well, but the length of the season definitely wore on him. His ERA was a little too high to win this award. Plus, like Okajima, he had to compete with the winner of this award on the same team. Bannister put together a very nice rookie season for a team that was, to be nice, not very good. He went 12-9 with a 3.87 ERA and 77 strikeouts. While it amounted to a nice season, that's about all we can say.

Preseason Pick: NONE



NL Rookie of the Year
And the award goes to: Ryan Braun MIL - Braun has Brawn. That has been the slogan all year long. This kid had an amazing season batting .324, with 34 homeruns, 97 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. There really is not much more you could ask for from a rookie. He played relatively well in the field and produced monster offensive numbers. This kid will be a threat for a long time to come.

Also worthy of contention: Troy Tulowitzki COL, Hunter Pence HOU - Tulowitzki had an outstanding year as well. He batted .291, with 24 homeruns, 99 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. Yes he produced two more runs than Braun did, but the other power numbers are down. He batted more than 30 points lower than Braun and had 10 less homeruns. Granted a third baseman is supposed to hit more homeruns than a shortstop, but overall, I believe Braun had a stronger year. Not by much, but just enough to win him the award. As for Pence, his year was incredible (.322 BA, 17 HR, 69 RBI, and 11 SB), but getting hurt really ruined his chances of winning this award. Had he been able to play all season the way Braun and Tulowitzki did, he would've had a shot at winning this thing.

Preseason Pick: NONE