MUNTRADAMUS

2014 MLB PREDICTION

 

By Muntradamus

 

BEAST DOME NATION.

Starting this past Football Season, I have been doing this annually.   To see my 2013 NFL Prediction from this past season, read here.  To read my 2014 NBA Season that is still going on.  Read here.

 

 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

AL WEST

 

LOS ANGELES ANGELS (85-77)

Pujols Rebounds this season.  Hamilton rebounds this season.  Too bad Trumbo is gone, but Raul Ibanez does enough to take his place.  The Angels are back as CJ Wilson and Jered Weaver pick up 20 Wins.

 

TEXAS RANGERS (83-79)

Outside of Yu Darvish, the pitching rotation is okay at best.  The bullpen is great and Prince Fielder should have a mamoth season.  Rangers will always be contenders, the question is will the Starting Rotation be okay without Derek Holland.

 

SEATTLE MARINES (79-81)

After grossly overpaying for Robinson Cano.  The Mariners did nothing else to their team.  Sure the addition of Fernando Rodney helps solidfy that bullpen, but the offense is still average+.  Mariners will be in a lot of dog fights with King Felix/Iwakuma/Paxton/Walker keeping games close.

 

OAKLAND ATHLETICS (77-83)

The Athletics are one of those teams that play baseball better than you do.  The talent is average, but they all play together.  Each night the Athletics have a new Game MVP.  This year, the pitching staff could be very dicey for the first time.  Sonny Gray is the real deal, the rest of the team are players that are either going to take the next step, or be one year wonders.  I am leaning towards one year wonders.

 

HOUSTON ASTROS (70-92)

Finally the Astros have an offense the team can be proud.  While the offense is good, the pitching staff will not be nearly consistent enough to win them games if the offense is faltering.  If the game is close and the Astros have to turn to their bullpen, the game is just about over for Houston.  It will be a good step for Houston to start scoring 7+ Runs consistently, this could be the season they approach that.

 

AL CENTRAL

 

DETROIT TIGERS (95-57)

The Tigers have no competition in the AL Central.  They can walk in as the Central Champs backwards with Miguel Cabrera winning MVP.  Max Scherzer wins CY Young.  Joe Nathan leads the AL in Saves.  Everyone does their part.

 

CLEVELAND INDIANS (78-82)

The Indians appear to finally have that pitching staff they have been grooming for years.  The Hitters also look great with Nick Swisher looking to be a clubhouse leader and bring this team the winning spirit.  The problem with the Indians is this team has been streaky every season.  They either all play together, they either all do not.  This is their year to make a move, but they are a superstar away from making it happen.

 

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (76-84)

As good as the young talent of the Royals is.  It is not ready to be talent that consistently wins you games in the MLB.  Ventura and Shields are nice K Pitchers, though Ventura will likely not last the whole season with an INN limit.  The hitting of Mike Moustakas is key for this team.  The power lacks, but they do have a lot of hitters who can get the job done.  The Royals still appear a distance away from being a playoff team.  Still a better team than they were in 2013.

 

MINNESOTA TWINS (60-102)

If you are a fan of the Minnesota Twins.  You can have very low expectations for the 2014 season.  The pitching staff is beyond garbage.  The Power on this team is close to non-existent.  This is a team that teams face where they can expect to win easily.

 

CHICAGO WHITE SOX (60-102)

Chris Sale could win a CY Young if he was on a team that would give him run support.  The White Sox are a team that will have trouble providing any run support.  Jose Abreu is supposed to be special, but so was Anthony Rizzo.  Abreu is likely not good enough to carry this team like everyone is hoping he will be able to do.  Adam Dunn/Paul Konerko and a bunch of familiar White Sox veteran faces surround this team.  If it has not worked for the last handful of years, why will it work now?

 

 

AL EAST

 

NEW YORK YANKEES (102-60)

The Yankees did not re-sign Cano.  Instead they used that money for the best Free Agent Moves of the Summer.  To bring in Carlos Beltran with Brian McCann is already a game changer.  To also bring in the best leadoff hitter in baseball, Jacoby Ellsbury is ridiculous.  To then add Kelly Johnson and Brian Roberts to go along with superstars everywhere on the field.  This Yankee team is ready to put up a lot of runs.

The pitching staff for the Yankees is going to be the best sleeper unit in baseball.  Everyone from their Ace CC Sabathia to their #5 Starter Michael Pineda will be lights out nearly every game.  David Robertson is the NEXT BIG THING at Closer.  This Yankee Squad will kill it, especially with Derek Jeter announcing this is his last season.

 

BOSTON RED SOX (95-67)

Red Sox will always be contenders.  They have a nice new tool in CF with Grady Sizemore, but losing Jacoby Ellsbury is huge for the Red Sox nation.  Victorino should be able to maintain something similar at the leadoff spot which should help the wound.  David Ortiz is not over the hill, despite all the Experts saying he is.  AJ Pierzynski was a nice addition, and the return of a healthy Clay Buchholz is exactly what this team needs.  Red Sox will always be tough.

 

BALTIMORE ORIOLES (85-77)

Orioles have the best offense in baseball.

1-7 when healthy, that lineup cannot be touched.  You are giving up at least 1 ER everytime you go through that group.

The problem with Baltimore will be it’s bullpen.  No matter how well the starter throws, the bullpen is a wildcard to blow any lead.  In the AL EAST where all the most clutch hitters are.  You are going to see some game changing hits.

 

TAMPA BAY RAYS (81-81)

The AL East is too good.  If Tampa Bay was in the AL Central, they could probably win it.  The Rays will have to have a perfect season in order to make the playoffs.  The Bullpen is solid, the young hitters are ready to rock, and the pitching staff has the arms to make a run.  The Rays are a team that will just be overmatched by the AL East too often.

 

TORONTO BLUE JAYS (79-83)

Jose Reyes/Jose Bautista/Edwin Encarnacion.  It does not get much better than that, and the Fantasy Baseball world knows it by drafting all of those guys in the first two rounds.  The problem with this team is pitching, and always will be pitching.  R.A. Dickey cost a lot of money, and he was a BUST.  Ricky Romero never panned out.  Brandon Morrow never panned out.  The bullpen is decent, but the starters are 50/50.

 

AL MVP RACE:

MIGUEL CABRERA (DET)

MIKE TROUT (LAA)

CARLOS BELTRAN (NYY)

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: 

JOSE ABREU (CWS)

AL CY YOUNG RACE:

MAX SCHERZER (DET)

YU DARVISH (TEX)

FELIX HERNANDEZ (SEA)

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

 

WILDCARD

 

BOSTON RED SOX VS. BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Winner: BALTIMORE

Unless Boston goes with Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester will not be able to limit the Orioles bats.

DIVISION SERIES

 

BALTIMORE ORIOLES VS. NEW YORK YANKEES

Winner: NEW YORK

Yankees were better than Baltimore in the Regular season, they are better in the postseason.

DETROIT TIGERS VS. LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Winner: Detroit

This series goes 7 games.  Detroit has the better pitching staff as they go deeper, and Detroit also has the better bullpen.  Ernesto can easily blow a game in the series which would devaste the Angels.

‘

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

 

NEW YORK YANKEES VS. DETROIT TIGERS

 

The Yankees are on a mission to win it all.  Derek Jeter wants to go out as a World Series Champion, and the depth/talent pool of the Yankees is uncomparable.  The Yankees destroy the Tigers and advance to the World Series.  Justin Verlander will not get his W, nor will Sanchez.  Which leaves the Tigers thin.

 

 

2014 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

 

NEW YORK YANKEES

 

 

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

 

 

NL WEST

 

LOS ANGELES DODGERS (97-75)

The Dodgers have been spending Yankee money to be amazing.  They have the best bullpen in Baseball with three former great closers.  They have easily the best 1-5 in the National League Pitching Staff and Batting Order.  They have it all.

 

COLORADO ROCKIES (80-82)

The Rockies will take the next step this season.  Justin Morneau was a nice signing, as well as Brett Anderson.  The Rockies have a great offense, in a great hitters park.  The Pitching Rotation has to hold its own this season for the Rockies to make a real move.  De La Rosa is the real deal and should be owned in every league.

 

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (79-83)

The Diamondbacks come into 2014 with a similar team plus Mark Trumbo and Addison Reed.  The early loss of Corbin hurts, luckily they have Arhie Bradley ready to be the next big thing.  The D-Backs are not a strong enough offense to count on consistently.  When this team falls behind, it is hard for them to comeback.

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (76-86)

The day the Giants give up on Brandon Belt and get a legitimate power 1B option, they will have a real offense.  For now they have a lot of high contact rate players like Posey/Sandoval/Pence leading this squad.  They need that Barry Bonds Power that is no longer there.  Morse will have trouble in that ball park, and the Starting Pitchers will have trouble getting any run support.

 

 

SAN DIEGO PADRES (69-93)

The Padres decided 2014 is not the season this team makes a move.  The pitching staff is weak, the bullpen is good, the offense is average.  All of this adds up to another losing Padre season.  No big addition leaves the team dry.

 

 

 

NL CENTRAL

 

CINCINNATI REDS (90-72)

Reds have the team to do big things.  The problem is they never all do it together at the same time.  Chapman going down for a while will hurt, but the bullpen is strong enough to hold down the fort.  The Starting Rotation is one of the strongest in the NL.  The Offense has some of the bigger names in the NL.  This should be the season this teams takes that next step.

 

PITTSBURGH PIRATES (86-76)

McCutchen and crew should make a move this season.  They always inch-by-inch get a little better.  They did lose G.I. Jones who was a consistent rock the last couple of years in the middle-late part of the order.  Still with Marte/McCutch and Pedro.  This team will be just fine in offense.  Not great, just fine.  The Pitching staff did lose AJ Burnett, but they have some young guns who will make noise.  Fun fact, I got a hit off of Gerrit Cole in Little League.  Where is my MLB contract?

 

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (82-80)

The Cardinals losing Carlos Beltran is bigger than the team is leading on.  Beltran was the rock in the middle of that order who always performed clutch hits.  Matt Adams will have to really step it up this year, but I do not see the potential that others do.  He is a fat guy with decent pop.  No more David Freese was a burn as well, especially when Kolten Wong takes his place in the batting order.

 

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (80-82)

The Brewers make a suprise run this season.  Ryan Braun is going to have a BIG YEAR.  Carlos Gomez is a surging star, as well as Jean Segura.  The addition of Mark Reynolds was nice as well.  The key for the Brewers is 100% pitching. Gallardo and Lohse need to bounce back.  The bullpen has to remain strong despite losing Axford to the Indians.

 

CHICAGO CUBS (60-102)

Cubs are not good this season.  Starlin Castro should have a bounce back year, Anthony Rizzo should do his thing.  Outside of those two, this team has nothing.  The Bullpen is weak.  The starting Rotation has only one pitcher you would consider for Fantasy.  Forget the Cubs in 2014.  The Theo Epstein project is overrated as of now.

 

 

NL EAST

 

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (94-68)

Washington has the best bullpen in baseball.  They have the #2 Pitcher Rotation in the NL.  They have stars in their batting order.  The Nationals will finally live up to the hype we have been waiting for.

 

ATLANTA BRAVES (89-74)

The Braves offense should provide plenty of run support.  The pitching staff did take some hits this Spring Training with Medlen going down and Minor not being himself.  The bullpen is still great, but the Braves still appear to be missing their sure fire arms to keep them rolling deep into the postseason.

 

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES (77-85)

Jimmy Rollins/Chase Utley/Ryan Howard.  All three players are still with this team as they give it what is likely their last big push.  The Phillies were able to keep the arms of Lee and Hamels as well to make this happen.  Dominic Brown is the X-Factor for this team to take the next step, but the real X-Factor is the ability for this team to stay healthy.

 

MIAMI MARLINS (74-88)

The Marlins added a lot of veterans to hopefully give this team a jolt to take the next step.  The young pitching is promising, Giancarlo Stanton should be a BEAST all season now that he is 100%.  The Marlins are a good team, but their offensive consistency is the key in holding them back.

 

NEW YORK METS (70-92)

The Mets have no pitching.  As good as Granderson and David Wright are, you need a BEAST SP.  The Mets do not have Matt Harvey or anything close to him in 2014.  The bullpen is garbage as well.  Too bad the Mets spend money on Granderson, but do little else to imporve this team.

 

 

NL MVP RACE:

HANLEY RAMIREZ (LAD)

BRYCE HARPER (WAS)

JOEY VOTTO (CIN)

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: 

ARCHIE BRADLEY (ARI)

NL CY YOUNG RACE:

CLAYTON KERSHAW (LAD)

ZACK GREINKE (LAD)

STEPHEN STRASBURG (WAS)

 

 

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

WILDCARD

 

ATLANTA BRAVES VS. PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Winner: Braves

When the game is on the line, Atlanta is one of those teams that comes through more often than not.  With Dan Uggla and BJ Upton having bounce back years, this team is tough.

DIVISION SERIES

 

LOS ANGELES DODGERS VS. ATLANTA BRAVES

Winner: Dodgers

The Dodgers are on a mission.  They spent the money to win it this year, and nobody in the NL has a better team.  Braves pitching does not compare.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS VS. CINCINNATI REDS

Winner: Washington

Strasburg/Zimmerman/Gio Gonzalez are going to be tough to beat in the Playoffs.  All three of those guys can throw CG Shutouts, and they don’t even need to with this stacked bullpen.

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

LOS ANGELES DODGERS VS. WASHINGTON NATIONALS

The Dodgers and National matchup as the best Pitching Rotations in the NL.  Both have strong bullpens.  The only difference is the Dodgers have more star hitters than Washington.

 

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

 

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

 

 

 

WORLD SERIES

LOS ANGELES DODGERS VS. NEW YORK YANKEES

 

Both teams that spend a lot of money.  Both teams with a lot on the line.  Both teams in the two biggest Markets.  West Coast vs. East Coast.  The Yankees have better offense, the Dodgers have better pitching.

At this point of the season, you want the team with better pitching.  The Dodgers make this Yankee team really work for runs, while Hanley Ramirez the Face of the BEAST DOME VIP plan.  Takes home World Series MVP, Dodgers win.

 

 

 

2014 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

 

 

 

 

 

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-FAIRBALLS

My first full season as a Beastdome.com VIP with Muntradamus was a total success. I finally won a fantasy baseball championship!!!

Muntradamus was there to help me every step of the way this season. Draft day (the most nerve wracking day of the season for me) Muntradamus had a plan(Chris Davis!!!!!!!!!!!), and was there to guide me through every pick via Skype screen sharing. This VIP feature is worth the price of the entire VIP package to me. After draft day I felt very comfortable with the team he helped me build.”

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I really can’t praise him enough for his help. Muntradamus is clearly obsessed with playing fantasy sports, and helping me win a championship became his obsession as well.

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BEAST CALLS FROM 2013

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1B RANKINGS 1st HALF

ALL PICKS BELOW WERE HIGHER THAN THE OTHER 80 EXPERTS

CHRIS DAVIS – 1B – BAL

MUNTRADAMUS RANK #11
EXPERT CONSENSUS RANK #22

STATS AS OF JULY 1st: .332 Average/31 HR/80 RBI/60 Runs

No Expert Ranked Crush Davis higher.  Coverman of the 2013 BEAST DOME Fantasy Baseball Team for a Reason.

DAVID ORTIZ – 1B/DH – BOS

MUNTRADAM.US RANK #12
EXPERT CONSENSUS RANK #21

STATS AS OF JULY 1st: .317 Average/16 HR/57 RBI/2 SB/40 Runs

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