It's official: the 2007 baseball season has begun! Not surprisingly, season preview articles are popping up everywhere, so I thought I'd throw my cap in the diamond and reveal my season picks.

For the fourth year in a row, my friend Mel and I have made team picks for our friendly annual MLB bet. Don't ask about how our betting system works–it's completely customized, unlike any normal betting arrangement, and we sometimes make up rules as the season goes on. Think calvinball and you pretty much have it. Something else that's important to keep in mind is that neither of us pick our teams based solely on the numbers. In fact, I'd say that we're both guided primarily by our hearts and a loyalty to teams that we've always rooted for. Without further ado, I present my 2007 MLB picks along with some of the reasons behind my choices:

1. Toronto Blue Jays
   I'm a canuck so I always try to get them in my pool. Most people are predicting a 3rd place finish for the Jays, but I'm going to have some faith and say that they'll finish second.
2. San Diego Padres
   The Friars have great pitching again this year, and a little more pop at the plate over last season's squad. They've lost Barfield and Roberts, but picked up a potential ROY in Kevin Kouzmanoff.
3. Cleveland Indians
   The AL central should be a great race to watch. The Tigers, White Sox, Indians and Twins all have a good chance at snagging a post-season berth. While I think the Indians have the weakest pitching staff of these four teams, I also expect Travis Hafner and his mates to put up some big numbers at the plate.
4. Milwaulkee Brewers
   I picked the Brewers for the first time last season and really enjoyed rooting for them. This year, they look even better so I snagged them in my pool in the 4th round of the draft.  Plenty of folks are predicting that the Brewers will take the NL Central this year, which would be incredibly exciting for both the team and baseball fans everywhere. It will be a tough race, but these young Brewers have a chance for the first time in years.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
   I switched to the Mets last season and missed rooting for Jimmy Rollins and the Phils. These guys have power and pitching, but also had a rough spring training. If they can stay healthy, and if young guns like Cole Hamels can make the successful transition to being full time major leaguers, the Phils should be in the thick of it all season long.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers
   They're lacking a big power bat, but they have many of the other pieces in place to become a winner this year. As I have an interview with catcher Russell Martin in the works right now, I simply couldn't let Mel get the Dodgers in his pool this time around!
7. Houston Astros
   Most predictions have the 'stros finishing near the bottom of the division in 2007. However, I like the broadcasters, and love singing "Deep In the Heart of Texas" at the 7th inning stretch, so I had to pick them again this year.
8. New York Mets
   This was the hardest pick I had to make. The Mets are heavily favored to grab the NL East title, but since our betting rules force us to pick just 2 teams per division, I had to make the choice between the Mets and my lowly Nationals. Being from Montreal originally, I have always had the Expos or Nationals in my pool–it's simply a matter of loyalty. This year though, I didn't pick with my heart. I figured there was no chance that Mel would pick the Nationals (and I was almost wrong on that one) and this would allow me to pick a team that would give me more points yet still root for the Nationals from the sidelines. You can count on me to follow the team closely in what should be a pretty long summer for the guys. (On a sidenote, Dontrelle Willis is just about the only person in the world right now giving the Nats some respect.)
9. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
   Solid pitching and big bats. Just keep an eye on Oakland in the rear view mirror!
10. Seattle Mariners
    Another loyalty pick as I live in the Northwest. I'll be surprised if they manage to keep Ichiro, though I still think they'll turn out a better campaign that last season.
11. Boston Red Sox
    Knowing Mel's affinity for the Yankees, I left this pick almost to the end. Manny and David-O are on the decline, though I still expect the Red Sox and Dice-K (stupid nickname!) to make the AL East interesting.
12. Minnesota Twins
    Mel snagged the Tigers and White Sox from under me this year and dumped his Twins for the first time. While I like rooting for Detroit, I'm not at all disappointed in getting the Twins in my 2007 pool. Liriano's out, but the Twins still have 2007 Cy Young hopeful Johan Santana and the big bats of Joe Mauer and fellow canuck Justin Morneau to get them to the post season.

So, there we have it. I feel a little dirty for dumping my Nationals, and I surprised myself by making so many NL picks in the early rounds, but I'm happy with my pool and I look forward to counting up my winnings at the end of each month. Mel hasn't beat me yet, and I don't plan on conceding victory this year either!

This post was added on Sunday, April 1st, 2007 at 8:36 pm and is filed under Club Views . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.