The 2013 Season So Far: A Look Back

Well, baseball fans, we’re a little over a month into the season. With plenty left to look forward to this year, let’s take a quick look back on how my preseason predictions are shaping up so far. Suffice it to say that, in most divisions, I’m way off.

Starting with the NL East, here are how the teams stack up as of today.

1. Braves

2. Nationals

3. Phillies

4. Mets

5. Marlins

The frontrunners, Washington and Atlanta, are trying to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in this division. The Phillies and Mets are currently 2 and 2.5 games behind Atlanta, respectively, with the Marlins in the basement, so this division is shaping up to be a closer race than I anticipated.

In the NL Central, the Brewers have dropped to 4th after being swept by the Cards in a crucial 4-game series this weekend that turned the tide in this division. Clearly the only thing I predicted right is the first- (and last) place teams.  Pittsburgh is currently in second, but I don’t expect that to last for much longer. We saw the same thing happen to them last year. They started out hot, then faded down the stretch. Here are the current standings:

1.Cardinals

2. Pirates

3. Reds

4. Brewers

5. Cubs

In my NL West predictions compared to the current standings, I’m all over the place.

1. Rockies

2. Giants

3. Diamondbacks

4. Padres

5. Dodgers

What can I say? My wild card Dodgers are in last place. My last place Rockies are currently in 1st. It’s like this every single year. I guess this is the division that I’m never meant to get right.

I currently feel the same way about my AL East predictions. Being a Yankees fan, (don’t judge) I can usually predict the AL East better than any division, with the possible exception of the NL Central. I decided not to go with the trendy Blue Jays pick this year, which was the right call, but everything else has so far been inconsistent with the current standings.
1. Red Sox

2. Orioles

3. Yankees

4. Rays

5. Blue Jays

In the AL Central, here are how the teams stack up.

1. Tigers

2. Royals

3. Indians

4. Twins

5. White Sox

I did get a couple things right in this division. So far, Detroit is on top. However, as I’ve mentioned before, this is always such a close division, especially this year, the way every team started out hot in the spring, that this will be a close race to watch right to the end.

Finally, the AL West. Not a huge surprise, but so far the Astros haven’t been too impressive.

1. Rangers

2. Athletics

3. Mariners

4. Angels

5. Astros

For the most part, my predictions for this division are as screwed up as the other divisions. I had the 4th-place Angels with the best record in the AL. I did have the Rangers toward the top, though.

Even though my preseason predictions might be messed up now, it’s only a month into the season. There’s still plenty of time before the teams start to get serious in the fall.

World of Sports

The NBA Playoffs are into the semifinals with two Game 2’s tonight. The Bulls are in Miami to take on the Heat and the Golden State Warriors take on the Spurs. If that’s not enough post season action for you, the Stanly Cup Playoffs are under way as well, with Game 4’s of the conference quarterfinals in Toronto and New York, as well as Game 5’s in Anaheim and St. Louis. The NBA and NHL Playoffs are under way and so begins the playoff frenzy.

Trevor Uitenbroek, Assistant Sports Director

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