MLB Playoff Predictions & NHL Hardware Preview & Predictions

ALDS
Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Both teams are getting injured players back in Josh Hamilton and Evan Longoria. The Rays won the season series 4-2. If you’re wondering why the Rays had such a poor BA and still finished 3rd in runs scored, it’s because they led the AL walks and steals. They’re a complete team, and every batter is able to contribute something. The Rays had the 2nd-best record in baseball when facing a LHP, and they’ll do so in each of the first two games. The Rangers’ ace, LHP Cliff Lee, was beaten by the Rays three times this season. 3B Evan Longoria and OF B.J. Upton led the way with a .956 and .919 OPS, respectively. The Rangers have a solid bullpen, though, with an AL-leading 32 wins and a 2.22 ERA with a K/BB rate of 3.6/1. The Rays are too well-rounded, though, and will advance.
Pick: Rays in 4

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins
Everyone seems to think this series will be close, but without Justin Morneau, I don’t think they have a chance. The Canadian was an early MVP-candidate, and while the Twins have a solid team, you can’t lose an MVP-type player and still win. The Yanks are using a 3-man rotation in Sabathia, Pettitte and Hughes, which is deadly, despite turning in terrible performances throughout the second-half of the season. They’ll need to turn it around ASAP if they want to advance, though. The last three times these squads met in the postseason, the Yankees have won: 3-0 in 2009; 3-1 in 2004; and 3-1 in 2003. Since taking Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS, the Twins have lost nine straight postseason games overall. In those nine postseason games, the Twins have been outscored 52-28. I see this coming down to arms versus bats: Twins’ pitching to Yankees’ hitting. The Yanks were one of the most patient teams in baseball, ranking 1st in OBP, 2nd in walk rate and 4th in pitches-per-plate appearance. They work counts and draw walks, and constantly putting guys on base leads to a potent offence. That said, the Twinkies pitching staff works the corners of the plate and don’t warrant many walks. The team posted the lowest walk rate in baseball in 2010, threw the highest number of pitches in the zone and ranked 2nd in fewest pitches thrown per batter faced. Joe Mauer is going to need to provide his offense, plus what they’re missing from Morneau – his numbers this season don’t indicate that he can do it.
Pick: Yankees in 5

NLDS
Cincinatti Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Power versus power! The Phillies’ starters led the bigs in innings pitched and were 4th in ERA at 3.55. The Reds led the NL in BA, SLG and were 2nd in OBP. 1B Joey Votto (Canadian!) led the league in OBP, slugging and adjusted OPS+ and was 2nd in the NL in offensive WAR, setting career highs in every offensive category. The Phillies bullpen dropped off big time this season, ranking 18th in ERA. The Phils have three lefty bats in the middle of the order, while the Reds have two power lefties, so both teams will need to stabilize. Phillies’ pitchers had the second lowest walk rate in the MLB, and the three pitchers being sent to the hill — RHP Roy Halladay, LHP Cole Hamels and RHP Roy Oswalt — don’t walk anyone. The Phils were 3rd in baseball in first-pitch strike percentage and in the top 10 in percent of pitches thrown in the strike zone. So if the Reds want to compete, they’ll need to be aggressive and attack first-pitch ABs. The Reds got an overrated 90 wins in the NL Central, easily the weakest division in baseball, not to mention an easy schedule. And what do they face? A rotation of Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt.Left hook, left hook, right uppercut – down for the count. 1-2-3.
Pick: Phillies in 3

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants
This series will come down to pitching. Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez are heating up at the right time, but the Braves pitching is also stellar. So, what do we get? A low-scoring game. Think soccer. The Braves have the lowest power and slugging percentage of any playoff team, and you can look no further than Brian McCann and Jason Heyward – both have each seen their power numbers fade. McCann (2 HR, .326 slug pct) and Heyward (2 HR, .385 slug pct) both struggled hard in September and October. The Giants ranked 2nd in the NL in both starters’ and relievers’ ERA, while the Braves were 5th among starters and 3rd in relievers. Both teams were consistently near the top of the ranks throughout the season, but the Giants’ kicked it into another gear – during the September crunch in the NL West, the Giants posted a 1.78 ERA, holding batters to a .182 batting average. The Giants have all the makings of a sleeper team – great starting pitching, the best defensive efficiency in the NL, and good power. That will prove to be the difference.
Pick: Giants in 4

Here are my predictions for some MLB hardware:

MLB Awards
AL Cy Young: David Price (Rays)
AL MVP: Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Phillies)
NL MVP: Joey Votto (Reds)
AL Rookie of the Year: Austin Jackson (Tigers)
NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward (Braves)
AL Manager of the Year: Ron Washington (Rangers)
NL Manager of the Year: Bruce Bochy (Giants)
AL Comeback Player of the Year: Francisco Liriano (Twins) (already official)
NL Comeback Player of the Year: Tim Hudson (Braves) (already official)
Aaron Award: Joey Votto (Reds) & Josh Hamilton (Rangers)
Clemente Award: Albert Pujols (Cardinals)
Clutch Performer: Jose Bautista (Blue Jays)
Delivery of the Year: Rafael Soriano (Rays) or Brian Wilson (Giants)

NHL time! I can’t wait for the puck to drop. Living in Toronto, the hype over the Leafs is the highest it’s been since the early 2000s. A lot of teams have improved, and others, like the Blackhawks, have been absolutely gutted this summer. Let’s take a look at my predicted standings:

Eastern Conference Predictions
1. Capitals
2. Penguins
3. Bruins
4. Flyers
5. Devils
6. Lightning
7. Rangers
8. Leafs
9. Senators
10. Canadiens
11. Hurricanes
12. Thrashers
13. Sabres
14. Islanders
15. Panthers

Western Conference Predictions
1. Canucks
2. Sharks
3. Wings
4. Kings
5. Blackhawks
6. Coyotes
7. Predators
8. Avalanche
9. Blues
10. Stars
11. Wild
12. Ducks
13. Flames
14. Blue Jackets
15. Oilers

Awards
Northeast: Bruins
Atlantic: Penguins
Southeast: Capitals
Pacific: Sharks
Northwest: Canucks
East Final: Penguins over Capitals
West Final: Red Wings over Canucks
Stanley Cup: Red Wings over Penguins
Hart: Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
Art Ross: Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
Norris: Drew Doughty (Kings)
Vezina: Jimmy Howard (Red Wings)
Calder: P.K. Subban (Canadiens)
Selke: Ryan Kesler (Canucks)
Lady Byng: Pavel Datsyuk (Red Wings)
Jack Adams: Terry Murray (Kings)
Breakout Team: Kings & Blues
Breakout Player: Pierre-Marc Bouchard (Wild) & Tyler Myers (Sabres), Peter Mueller (Avalanche), Chris Stewart (Avalanche)
Coach Hotseat: Ron Wilson (Maple Leafs) & Peter DeBoer (Panthers)

All-underrated team and all-overrated team. “Underrated” in the NHL usually means someone who has a low salary, flies in under the radar, quietly performs above and beyond expectations, or does the small things that don’t show up on the scoresheet that help win hockey games.”Overrated” is a player who hasn’t met expectations based on their skill level, annual salary or both. Here are the teams:

All-Underrated
F Dominic Moore (Lightning)
F Brooks Laich (Capitals)
F Jamie Langenbrunner (Devils)
D Mark Giordano (Flames)
D P.K. Subban (Canadiens)
G Craig Anderson (Avalanche)
Bench: Joe Pavelski (Sharks), Mike Richards (Flyers), Brendan Morrow (Stars), Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks), Stephane Robidas (Stars), Patrick Sharp (Blackhawks) Ryan Clowe (Sharks), Hall Gill (Canadiens), Mikko Koivu (Wild), Shawn Horcoff (Oilers), Darren Helm (Red Wings)

All-Overrated
F Alex Kovalev (Senators)
F Alex Ponkiarovsky (Kings)
F Scott Gomez (Canadiens)
D Jay Bouwmeester (Flames)
D Mike Green (Capitals)
G Rick DiPietro (Islanders)
Bench: Martin Havlat (Wild), Patrick Marleau (Sharks), Olli Jokinen (Flames), Brian McCabe (Panthers), Brian Campbell (Blackhawks), Sheldon Souray (Oilers)

There you have it. You can take a look at my past playoff prediction history below. Looking to bounce back from a poor performance at last year’s MLB postseason. Wish me luck.

NHL
2007-08: 12-3 (80%)
2008-09: 10-5 (67%)
2009-10: 9-6 (60%)
Total: 31/45 = 69%

NBA
2007-08: 11-4 (73%)
2008-09: 9-6 (60%)
2009-10: 11-4 (73%)
Total: 20/30 = 67%

MLB
2008: 5-2 (71%)
2009: 4-3 (57%)
Total: 9/14 = 64%

NFL
2008-09: 9-2 (82%)
2009-10: 7-4 (64%)
Total: 16/22 = 73%