At Perfect Game we don’t spend much time focusing on the big-leagues, as most of our attention is fixed on the amateur levels of the game, player development, scouting and recruiting. However, every year I like to take the time to share my preseason predictions for the upcoming season, and while I intend to share those again this year, I am not going to break down each team individually as I have done in the past. Instead I will focus on providing a brief overview of each division while offering my preseason playoff teams and hardware winners.

AL East
1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays

No real surprises in this division. Many publications seem to be questioning the Yankees pitching staff, but it really shouldn’t be that much different from a year ago and they have a lot of young, talented arms that will knocking at the door. Their offense, like the Red Sox, will continue to score a ton of runs. The Blue Jays should also score a bunch of runs, but their pitching staff just doesn’t have the talent or the depth to keep up with the Yankees and Red Sox. The Orioles and Devil Rays will continue to struggle.

AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Kansas City Royals

I predicted the Indians would take a step backwards this past year before taking a bigger step forward after their very successful 2005 season, and they will hold true to that prediction. The Tigers will take a step back much like the White Sox did a year ago, while the White Sox will find out that trading a couple of their proven starters for younger players will hurt them this year before proving fruitful in years to come. The Twins despite having an unsettled starting rotation will once again put the pieces together to have a very good season, and while the Royals are building with talent from within, they’re not quite ready to make the plunge. This is the best division in baseball, and the toughest one to predict.

AL West
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners

I think most people would pick the Angels ahead of the A’s, and I can’t really blame them. They look better on paper, with a dynamic lineup, great depth and a solid bullpen. I think the difference will come in the starting rotation, although the A’s will need good health from several of their key players, most notably Bobby Crosby. The Mariners could have a tough season unless a lot of things go right for them, and that may pose a problem convincing free-agent-to-be Ichiro Suzuki to stick around past this year.

AL Wildcard: Minnesota Twins
One of the most versatile teams in the game with an underrated bullpen finds a way to make the playoffs again in 2007.

AL Pennant: New York Yankees
After trimming their payroll, a little, the Yankees finally make it to the World Series again.

AL MVP: Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians
Hafner put up MVP numbers a year ago, and while Grady Sizemore is a popular preseason MVP pick, the Indians offense goes as Hafner does.

AL Cy Young: Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins
I’m going to keep picking him until his production severely drops off.

AL Rookie of the Year: Kei Igawa, New York Yankees
Daisuke Matsuzaka may get more attention, but with the attention comes increased pressure and expectations. Igawa will thrive as the Yankees fourth or fifth starter posting 12 to 15 wins in the process.

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

The Phillies are a popular pick for this division, but similar to the Indians a year ago, I think they’ll take a step back this year before taking a bigger step forward in 2008. The Mets lineup is the best in the National League, although they need some improved health with their pitching staff. Atlanta will once again be tough, while the Marlins have far too many sophomore slump candidates to surprise anyone this year. The Nationals could be the worst team in baseball.

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

In one of the weaker divisions in all of baseball, the Cardinals will continue to sit atop this division despite losing several key members of their World Series Championship team from a year ago. The Brewers pitching staff should help carry a young team with a promising offense, while the Reds have quietly assembled three very good arms to front their starting staff to complement their always potent offense. The Cubs will learn that you can’t throw money at every problem, while the Astros will suffer without Pettitte and Clemens. The Pirates need more impact bats to help their young staff record more W’s.

NL West
1. Arizona Diamondbacks
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. San Diego Padres
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Colorado Rockies

This is a tough division to pick, because I can easily envision any of these teams using some early season momentum to carry them throughout the season while surprising some people along the way. I’m going with the D-Backs, who have added a few key, veteran arms to go along with their young and budding lineup. The Dodgers, Padres and Giants could also be very tough, and if you ask me again tomorrow my one through four may look different. I think the Rockies are headed in the right direction, but aren’t quite where they need to be to turn the corner.

NL Wildcard: Los Angeles Dodgers
I really liked the pickup of Jason Schmidt, and they have plenty of young players moving up to aid a mid-to-late season charge towards the playoffs.

NL Pennant: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals experience and potent offense will put them over the top once again.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Similar to Johan Santana, I’m going to keep picking Pujols until his production drops significantly. He’s quite simply the best hitter in the game.

NL Cy Young: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals
Carpenter’s success will stand out even more so this year since he will have three new names flanking him in the Cardinals starting rotation.

NL Rookie of the Year: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies
Tulowitzki should have little problems making the transition from the minors to the big-leagues with his polished tools and approach to the game.

World Series: Yankees over Cardinals
As much as it pains me as a fan to pick these two teams, the Yankees will have too much for the Cardinals to overcome should this matchup come to fruition.