Notice: Trying to get property 'display_name' of non-object in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-seo/src/generators/schema/article.php on line 52
keyboard_arrow_uptop

Today we reveal the Baseball Prospectus staff predictions for the division standings and the major player awards (MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year) in the National League, along with the staff picks in some fun miscellaneous categories.


Each staff member’s division standings predictions may be found later in the article. Here, we present a wisdom-of-the-crowds summary of the results. In each table you’ll find the average rank of each team in their division, plus the results of our pre-season MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year voting.

First-place votes are in parentheses.


Standings:

NL East

Team                   Average
New York Mets           1.2 (14)
Atlanta Braves          2.2 (2)
Philadelphia Phillies   2.6 (1)
Washington Nationals    4.1
Florida Marlins         4.9

NL Central

Team                  Average
Chicago Cubs           1.5 (9)
Milwaukee Brewers      1.5 (8)
Cincinnati Reds        2.9
St. Louis Cardinals    4.8
Houston Astros         4.9
Pittsburgh Pirates     5.2

NL West

Team                   Average
Los Angeles Dodgers     1.6 (11)
Arizona Diamondbacks    2.1 (5)
Colorado Rockies        2.9 (1)
San Diego Padres        3.6
San Francisco Giants    4.9

Individual Awards:

For the MVP voting, we’ve slightly amended the traditional points system in place that’s been used elsewhere, dropping fourth- and fifth-place votes to make it 10-7-5 for the MVP Award, and the regular 5-3-1 for the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards (that’s 5 points for a first-place vote, 3 for a second-place vote, etc).

Next to each selection we’ve listed the total number of ballots followed by the total number of points, followed by the number of first-place votes in parentheses, if any were received.

NL MVP

  1. David Wright, 3B, Mets. 13, 122 (11)
  2. Mark Teixeira, 1B, Braves. 5, 34 (1)
  3. Matt Holliday, LF, Rockies. 4, 31 (1)
  4. Prince Fielder, 1B, Brewers. 4, 29 (1)
  5. Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals. 4, 27 (1)
  6. Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers. 3, 24 (1)
  7. Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies. 3, 17
  8. Jose Reyes, SS, Mets. 2, 15 (1)
  9. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins. 2, 12
  10. Johan Santana, LHP, Mets. 2, 10
  11. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Cubs. 2, 10
  12. Ryan Howard, 1B, Phillies. 1, 7
  13. Russell Martin, C, Dodgers. 1, 7
  14. Brandon Webb, RHP, Diamondbacks. 1, 5
  15. Chris Young, CF, Diamondbacks. 1, 5
  16. Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves. 1, 7
  17. Takashi Saito, RP, Dodgers. 1, 5

NL Cy Young

  1. Johan Santana, Mets. 17, 81 (15)
  2. Jake Peavy, Padres. 9, 24
  3. Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks. 9, 21 (1) 11
  4. John Smoltz, Braves. 1, 5 (1)
  5. Carlos Zambrano, Cubs. 3, 5
  6. Pedro Martinez, Mets. 1, 3
  7. Brad Penny, Dodgers. 1, 3
  8. Dan Haren, Diamondbacks. 2, 2
  9. Ben Sheets, Brewers. 2, 2
  10. Chad Billingsley, Dodgers. 1, 1
  11. Roy Oswalt, Astros. 1, 1
  12. Takashi Saito, Dodgers. 1, 1
  13. Cole Hamels, Phillies. 1, 1
  14. Aaron Harang, Reds. 1, 1

NL RotY

  1. Kosuke Fukudome, RF, Cubs. 13, 47 (5)
  2. Geovany Soto, C, Cubs. 8, 28 (4)
  3. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds. 5, 17 (2)
  4. Hiroki Kuroda, RHP, Dodgers. 4, 14 (2)
  5. Johnny Cueto, RHP, Reds. 4, 10 (1)
  6. Jay Bruce, CF, Reds. 5, 9 (1)
  7. Franklin Morales, LHP, Rockies. 2, 8 (1)
  8. Homer Bailey, RHP, Reds. 1, 5 (1)
  9. Chase Headley, 3B, Padres. 3, 3
  10. Manny Parra, RHP, Brewers. 1, 3
  11. Jair Jurrjens, RHP, Braves. 1, 3
  12. Colby Rasmus, CF, Cardinals. 1, 3
  13. J.R. Towles, C, Astros. 1, 1
  14. Andy LaRoche, 3B, Dodgers. 1, 1
  15. Cameron Maybin, CF, Marlins. 1, 1


Individual Ballots:


Kevin Goldstein

Standings


NL East           NL Central          NL West
Mets              Brewers             Dodgers
Phillies*         Cubs                Rockies
Braves            Reds                Padres
Nationals         Cardinals           Diamondbacks
Marlins           Pirates             Giants
                  Astros

NL MVP
1. Albert Pujols
2. Mark Teixeira
3. Jose Reyes

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Brandon Webb
3. Chad Billingsley


NL RotY
1. Kosuke Fukudome
2. Geovany Soto
3. Joey Votto

The First Manager to Get Fired: John Gibbons

The Game to Watch: September 27–Behind three RBI from Evan Longoria, another strong outing from Scott Kazmir, and successful innings of relief from September call-ups David Price and Wade Davis, the Rays blow out the Tigers 9-1 for their 81st win of the year, clinching the first non-losing season in franchise history.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Zach Duke

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Tony Pena Jr.

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Howie Kendrick

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Huston Street

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Tim Beckham

Barry Bonds Signs With: Nobody

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Zero

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: the Cardinals, in July

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Giants

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Mets


Joe Sheehan

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Cubs                Diamondbacks
Braves*          Brewers             Dodgers
Phillies         Reds                Rockies
Nationals        Astros              Padres
Marlins          Cardinals           Giants
                 Pirates

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Johan Santana
3. Brandon Webb

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Brandon Webb
3. Roy Oswalt

NL RotY
1. Kosuke Fukudome
2. Joey Votto
3. Chase Headley

The First Manager to Get Fired: John McLaren

The Game to Watch: September 21st, Tigers at Indians. It’ll be the last head-to-head in great division matchup.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Matt Cain

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Nate Schierholtz

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Ichiro Suzuki

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Pat Burrell

Barry Bonds Signs With: Yankees, July 17

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Zero

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Cardinals, May 20

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Angels, 85-89 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rangers, 69-92 wins


Dan Fox

Standings


NL East           NL Central        NL West
Mets              Cubs              Dodgers
Phillies*         Brewers           Diamondbacks
Braves            Reds              Rockies
Nationals         Cardinals         Padres
Marlins           Pirates           Giants
                  Astros


NL MVP
1. Jose Reyes
2. Matt Holliday
3. Albert Pujols

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Carlos Zambrano
3. Dan Haren

NL RotY
1. Geovany Soto
2. Hiroki Kuroda
3. Andy LaRoche

The First Manager to Get Fired: Cecil Cooper

The Game to Watch: All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Daniel Cabrera

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Jason Kendall

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Tony Pena Jr.

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Jason Bay

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Tim Beckham

Barry Bonds Signs With: Nobody

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): No additional suspensions as a result of the Mitchell Report, but the threat of those suspensions will be used as leverage to enhance the existing testing program.

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Cardinals, June 27th

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Cubs, 86-90 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rays, 74-89 wins


Christina Kahrl

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Braves           Brewers             Dodgers
Mets             Cubs*               Diamondbacks
Phillies         Reds                Rockies
Nationals        Cardinals           Padres
Marlins          Astros              Giants
                 Pirates

NL MVP
1. Ryan Braun
2. Chipper Jones
3. Takashi Saito

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Brandon Webb

NL RotY
1. Hiroki Kuroda
2. Joey Votto
3. Jay Bruce

The First Manager to Get Fired: Cecil Cooper

The Game to Watch: September 16th, Brewers at Cubs.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Matt Cain

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Jason Kendall

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Howie Kendrick

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Joe Nathan

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Tim Beckham

Barry Bonds Signs With: Mets, May 31st

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Pirates, July

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Padres, 80-84 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Astros, 67-85 wins


Marc Normandin

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Cubs                Dodgers
Phillies*        Brewers             Diamondbacks
Braves           Reds                Rockies
Nationals        Pirates             Padres
Marlins          Cardinals           Giants
                 Astros

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Prince Fielder
3. Chase Utley

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Brandon Webb

NL RotY
1. Kosuke Fukudome
2. Geovany Soto
3. Jay Bruce

The First Manager to Get Fired: John Gibbons

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Matt Cain

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Nick Punto

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Jack Cust

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Ivan Rodriguez

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Adam Dunn

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Tim Beckham

Barry Bonds Signs With: Mets, June

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Two

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Blue Jays, July

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Giants, 60-63 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Phillies, 83-91 wins


Jay Jaffe


Standings


NL East           NL Central          NL West
Mets              Brewers             Dodgers
Braves            Cubs*               Rockies
Phillies          Reds                Diamondbacks
Nationals         Cardinals           Padres
Marlins           Astros              Giants
                  Pirates

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Ryan Braun
3. Mark Teixeira

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy

3. Chad Billingsley

NL RotY
1. Jay Bruce
2. Kosuke Fukudome
3. Johnny Cueto


Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Matt Cain

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Jose Lopez

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Adam Dunn

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Corey Patterson

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Rich Harden

Barry Bonds Signs With: Orioles, July 1st

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Paul Lo Duca

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Blue Jays, July 31st

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Red Sox, 85-95 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Reds, 70-90 wins


John Perrotto

Standings


AL East             NL Central          NL West
Mets                Cubs                Rockies
Braves*             Brewers             Dodgers
Phillies            Reds                Padres
Marlins             Astros              Giants
Nationals           Pirates             Diamondbacks
                    Cardinals


NL MVP
1. Matt Holliday
2. David Wright
3. Aramis Ramirez

NL Cy Young
1. John Smoltz
2. Johan Santana
3. Carlos Zambrano

NL RotY
1. Franklin Morales
2. Kosuke Fukudome
3. Johnny Cueto

The First Manager to Get Fired: John Gibbons

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Daniel Cabrera

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Cesar Izturis

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Adam Dunn

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Luis Hernandez

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Paul Konerko

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Tim Beckham

Barry Bonds Signs With: San Diego, June 1st

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Zero

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Pirates, All-Star break


Nate Silver

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Cubs                Dodgers
Braves*          Brewers             Diamondbacks
Phillies         Reds                Rockies
Nationals        Astros              Padres
Marlins          Pirates             Giants
                 Cardinals

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Russell Martin
3. Ryan Zimmerman

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Pedro Martinez
3. Takashi Saito

NL RotY
1. Geovany Soto
2. Kosuke Fukudome
3. Jay Bruce

The First Manager to Get Fired: John McLaren

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Matt Cain

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Cristian Guzman

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Howie Kendrick

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Joe Nathan

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Pedro Alvarez

Barry Bonds Signs With: Texas, Memorial Day

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Minnesota, when it realizes that Joe Nathan isn’t a good investment of resources on a 90-loss club.

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rangers (~65 win downside, 80-win upside)

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: A’s (~92-win upside, 65-win downside)


Jim Baker

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Cubs                Diamondbacks
Phillies         Brewers*            Dodgers
Braves           Reds                Padres
Nationals        Astros              Rockies
Marlins          Pirates             Giants
                 Cardinals

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Prince Fielder
3. Chase Utley

NL Cy Young
1. Brandon Webb
2. Johan Santana
3. Jake Peavy

NL RotY
1. Joey Votto
2. Kosuke Fukudome
3. Hiroki Kuroda

The First Manager to Get Fired: Ron Washington

The Game(s) to Watch: Wednesday, July 23rd–At 1:05 PM, the Twins will be at Yankee Stadium, and at 7:10 PM, the Phillies are at Shea Stadium. This is an excellent chance to see complete ballgames at both doomed New York ballparks on the same day.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Tim Lincecum

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Tony Pena Jr.

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Ivan Rodriguez

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Jim Thome

Barry Bonds Signs With: White Sox, May 15th

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Zero

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Blue Jays, July 15th

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Yankees, 93-97 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Dodgers, 75-90 wins


Ben Murphy

Standings


NL East         NL Central      NL West
Mets            Cubs            Dodgers
Phillies        Brewers*        Diamondbacks
Braves          Reds            Rockies
Nationals       Cardinals       Padres
Marlins         Astros          Giants
                Pirates


NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Chase Utley
3. Hanley Ramirez

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Brandon Webb

NL RotY
1. Geovany Soto
2. Kosuke Fukudome
3. Jay Bruce

The First Manager to Get Fired: John McLaren

The Game to Watch: Monday, April 14th, Yankees at Rays–Scott Kazmir makes his season debut against Joba Chamberlain after an early injury to the Yankees staff forces the youngster into the rotation. Both throw six shutout innings, Upton homers in the bottom of the seventh to force Joba from the game, and Kazmir finishes the win in a promising return from the elbow scare.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Matt Morris, NL; Steve Trachsel, AL

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Cesar Izturis

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Adam Everett

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Joe Blanton

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Pedro Alvarez

Barry Bonds Signs With: Indians, June 2. The problem here is that it makes the most sense for teams like the Indians or Mariners to sign him, but they don’t seem willing to assume the risk and the off-field concerns. However, both could make huge upgrades at LF and DH, respectively, and at some point, the impact on the field has to trump all the other issues.

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Zero

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Padres, July 10th (NL); Blue Jays, June 10th (AL)

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Both the Blue Jays and Padres fit this question well, and both being smart enough to recognize that they’re in divisions with established powers (Blue Jays) or already-built young teams (Padres), both seem likely to be right around 78 to 82 wins, and will hopefully recognize it and choose to rebuild early enough to make trading season exciting.

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Mariners (AL)–They could win 88 again if they manage to get decent performances out of the bottom of the rotation (Silva, Washburn, Batista) and the offense is decent, which isn’t a stretch if they sign a real DH and get some power out of Sexson and Ibanez; of course, it’s probably more likely that only Bedard, Felix, and Putz are assets on the mound and only Beltre and Ichiro are useful at the plate, and in that case they’ll struggle to win 76 games.

Reds (NL)–With several blossoming youngsters in Votto, Bruce, Bailey, Cueto, and Volquez, the Reds could get moderately good performances from Keppinger and Valentin, or a breakout from Edwin Encarnacion or return to 2006 form for Corey Patterson, and let their stars like Dunn and Harang lead the way to a win total in the upper 80s; if the youngsters stay in the minors or aren’t ready for the big time yet, it would take special contributions from guys like Griffey and Arroyo to keep them above 77 wins.


Brad Wochomurka

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Cubs                Diamondbacks
Braves           Brewers             Dodgers*
Phillies         Reds                Rockies
Nationals        Astros              Padres
Marlins          Cardinals           Giants
                 Pirates

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Matt Holliday
3. Mark Teixeira

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Carlos Zambrano

NL RotY
1. Geovany Soto
2. Johnny Cueto
3. Kosuke Fukudome

The First Manager to Get Fired: Charlie Manuel

The Game to Watch: Yankees at Red Sox, September 26–first game of the final series of the season–who knows what could be on the line?

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Daniel Cabrera

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Juan Uribe

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Jack Cust

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Pedro Feliz

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Roy Oswalt

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Pedro Alvarez

Barry Bonds Signs With: Reds, whenever Ken Griffey Jr. hits the DL

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Zero

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Astros, July

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rangers, 10-win spread

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Phillies, 25-win spread


Derek Jacques

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Phillies         Brewers             Diamondbacks
Mets             Cubs                Dodgers*
Braves           Reds                Rockies
Marlins          Pirates             Padres
Nationals        Cardinals           Giants
                 Astros

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Ryan Howard
3. Prince Fielder

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Cole Hamels

NL RotY
1. Kosuke Fukudome
2. Colby Rasmus
3. Cameron Maybin

The First Manager to Get Fired: John Gibbons

The Game to Watch: The first Mets/Yankees game that Johan Santana starts.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Gil Meche

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Cesar Izturis

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Jeff Francoeur

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Adam Dunn

Barry Bonds Signs With: Angels, August 7th

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Six

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Giants, All-Star Break

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Orioles, 68-72 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Reds, 75-90 wins


David Laurila

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Braves           Brewers             Dodgers
Mets*            Cubs                Diamondbacks
Phillies         Reds                Padres
Nationals        Pirates             Rockies
Marlins          Cardinals           Giants
                 Astros

NL MVP
1. Prince Fielder
2. Mark Teixeira
3. David Wright

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Brandon Webb
3. Aaron Harang

NL RotY
1. Kosuke Fukudome
2. Jair Jurrjens
3. Geovany Soto

The First Manager to Get Fired: Dave Trembley. Expectations aren’t high, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to win games.

The Game to Watch: Detroit at Cleveland, September 19th. The Indians and Tigers begin a three-game series neck-and-neck for the division lead, with the Angels (and maybe another team or two) also in the wild card race.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Barry Zito. If you start a lot of games for a team with a poor offense, well…

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): I hate trying to predict things like this, but with a gun at my head I’d say Brad Ausmus, but only because he regularly gets votes here; I respect Ausmus as a player.

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Adam Dunn. He’ll also have a good OPS, but that’s not the question.

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Nomar Garciaparra

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Rich Harden

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Pedro Alvarez

Barry Bonds Signs With: Sing Sing Giants. When? Does it really matter?

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Three

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Athletics, July

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Indians, five-game spread

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Mets, 15-game spread


Bryan Smith

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Cubs                Dodgers
Braves*          Brewers             Rockies
Phillies         Reds                Diamondbacks
Nationals        Cardinals           Padres
Marlins          Astros              Giants
                 Pirates

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Matt Holliday
3. Aramis Ramirez

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Brad Penny
3. Dan Haren

NL RotY
1. Homer Bailey
2. Franklin Morales
3. Chase Headley

The First Manager to Get Fired: John Gibbons

The Game to Watch: University of Miami vs. University of Missouri; College World Series, June 27th

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Barry Zito

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Tony Pena Jr.

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Jack Cust

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Tony Pena Jr.

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Paul Konerko

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Aaron Crow

Barry Bonds Signs With: San Diego, July 4th

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Orioles, June 15th

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Phillies, 86-89 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rays, 72-85 wins


William Burke

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Brewers             Dodgers
Braves*          Reds                Diamondbacks
Phillies         Cubs                Padres
Nationals        Astros              Rockies
Marlins          Cardinals           Giants
                 Pirates

NL MVP
1. Mark Teixeira
2. Hanley Ramirez
3. Albert Pujols

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Brandon Webb
3. Ben Sheets

NL RotY
1. Joey Votto
2. Manny Parra
3. Chase Headley

The First Manager to Get Fired: Ron Washington

The Game to Watch: All of them (if you can).

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Noah Lowry

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Adam Everett

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Carlos Pena

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Bengie Molina

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Hank Blalock

Barry Bonds Signs With: San Diego, June 4

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): One

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Giants, April 15th

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Padres, 78-82 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rays, 69-85 wins


Jason Paré

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Brewers             Dodgers
Braves           Cubs*               Diamondbacks
Phillies         Reds                Rockies
Nationals        Astros              Padres
Marlins          Cardinals           Giants
                 Pirates

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Albert Pujols
3. Johan Santana

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Brandon Webb

NL RotY
1. Johnny Cueto
2. Kosuke Fukudome
3. J.R. Towles

The First Manager to Get Fired: John Gibbons

The Game to Watch: September 19th, Mets at Braves.

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Barry Zito

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Tony Pena Jr.

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Ryan Howard

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Ivan Rodriguez

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Joe Blanton

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Brian Matusz

Barry Bonds Signs With: Padres, May

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Seven

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Reds, July

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rangers, 70-78 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Phillies, 74-92 wins


Caleb Peiffer

Standings


NL East          NL Central          NL West
Mets             Brewers             Diamondbacks
Braves           Cubs*               Dodgers
Phillies         Reds                Padres
Nationals        Pirates             Rockies
Marlins          Cardinals           Giants
                 Astros

NL MVP
1. David Wright
2. Ryan Braun
3. Chris B. Young

NL Cy Young
1. Johan Santana
2. Jake Peavy
3. Ben Sheets

NL RotY
1. Hiroki Kuroda
2. Kosuke Fukudome
3. Geovany Soto

The First Manager to Get Fired: John McLaren

The Game to Watch: Cubs at Brewers, September 28

Brian Kingman Award (pitcher most likely to lose 20): Wandy Rodriguez

Cristian Guzman Award (for the position player most likely to put up the lowest VORP in regular playing time): Joe Crede

Jose Hernandez Award (most strikeouts, batter): Jack Cust

The 2008 DiSar Award Winner (most AB before first walk): Pablo Ozuna

Best Player traded at the July deadline: Jason Bay

First Player picked in the June amateur draft: Aaron Crow

Barry Bonds Signs With: Oakland, June 4th

Players named in the Mitchell Report who will be suspended (of 89): Zero

The team that first decides to blast down to the foundations will be the: Astros, July

The team with the smallest spread between its upside and downside potential: Orioles, 60-66 wins

The team with the widest spread between its upside and downside potential: Rays, 75-90 wins

Thank you for reading

This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.

Subscribe now
You need to be logged in to comment. Login or Subscribe