It has been five long months since we saw the Boston Red Sox reach the top of the baseball world in the most improbable of seasons. Now, the melting snow and warming air way gives way to the return of America’s favorite pastime. This season, we are sure to be amazed and sit marveled at what will play out before us. Hopefully, the magic of baseball returns to grace ballparks from to sea to sea, and us fans are treated with something truly special.

National League East

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

Three of the five teams in this division have forgone conclusions. Miami, Philadelphia, and New York will all, unsurprisingly, fail to surprise or put up much of a competition against their opponents.

Atlanta and Washington, however, is set to be an interesting race all season long. Atlanta, fresh off a division title and a 96-win campaign, is largely set to return to the top of the National League East. Washington, equipped with an outstanding rotation lead by Stephen Strasburg and a strong lineup led by phoneme Bryce Harper, will stand as a formidable foe throughout the year. I did, however, pick Washington to win the World Series last year and that did not work out to well so this year, I’m picking Atlanta to repeat as division champs, leaving Washington to vie for one the two Wild Card spots.

National League Central

1.     St. Louis Cardinals
2.     Pittsburgh Pirates
3.     Cincinnati Reds
4.     Milwaukee Brewers
5.     Chicago Cubs

The National League Central was baseball’s darling division last season, sending three teams to the playoffs. This year, Pittsburgh loses pitcher AJ Burnett and Cincinnati loses outfielder Shin Soo Choo, weakening their chances of catching division champion St. Louis, who, when you look at top to bottom, is arguably the best team in baseball. Even with the departure of star outfielder Carlos Beltran, the Cardinals still have ace Adam Wainwright and MVP-candidate catcher Yadier Molina in addition to a wonderful manager in Mike Matheny and a loaded farm system. If all these ingredients can stay intact throughout of the year, St. Louis is poised to win the division and go far come playoff time.

National League West

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

I am going to just go out and say this: the Los Angeles Dodgers will win the 2014 World Series. My reasoning? Two words: Clayton Kershaw.

Clayton also wins my pick for NL Cy Young, the highest pitching honors. I will also make the case for him to be a possible MVP candidate, which is often unheard of for a pitcher. This year, however, will simply be his year. Expect an easy 20-plus win record and an easy division crown for Los Angeles. Besides Kershaw, the Dodgers having a good accompanying rotation that includes Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Dan Haren in addition to a lineup that features Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, and one of baseball’s biggest rising stars, Yasiel Puig. Under the leadership of manager of Don Mattingly, expect the Dodgers to be atop the baseball world come October.

Elsewhere in the division, don’t be surprised if the San Diego Padres make a run at one the of the Wild Card spots. With a great manager in Bud Black and stars such as Everth Cabrera and Chase Headley, the Padres could be baseball’s surprise team in 2014.

American League East

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

The AL East always seems to be the most interesting division in all of baseball, and 2014 will be no different. The Boston Red Sox completed the most improbable of seasons last year culminating in a World Series championship. This year, even with the loss of centerfield star Jacoby Ellsbury to the rival New York Yankees, I predict the Red Sox will win another division crown quite easily.

As for the rest of the division, the race becomes a lot tighter. The New York Yankees, as always, had the most interesting offseason. While they lose second baseman Robinson Cano, who is largely considered the best infielder in baseball, the Yankees responded as they always have: by spending the big bucks. The Yankees went out and grabbed outfielder Carlos Beltran, catcher Brian McCann, Japan pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, and the aforementioned Jacoby Ellsbury. The price tag for these four players? A whopping $438 million dollars.

While the Yankees added some impressive pieces to a roster that was already decent and a pitching staff with stars from top to bottom, I believe the Yankees will be baseball’s biggest disappointment of 2014. While I understand this is a bold prediction and an unpopular opinion, I believe that the Yankees can’t adjust to all these changes in one season. Yes, the season is long and the Yankees won a World Series in a very similar situation back in 2009, this is season is different. The Yankees are a very old team with little athleticism, not to mention the distractions that could consume team, such as a retiring Derek Jeter and the mess that is Alex Rodriquez, who is suspended for the entire 2014 season.

This leaves the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles to fight for the number two spot in the division. Ultimately, even with Baltimore’s young talent, I think Tampa Bay will win a Wild Card berth and finish as the runners up to Boston in the AL East in 2014.

American League Central

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

Expect the Tigers to win another division title behind the expected stellar performances by pitcher Justin Verlander, first baseman Miguel Cabrera, and newcomer, second baseman Ian Kinsler.

The Kansas City Royals, however, could pose a threat to the Tigers, helped by the talent of first baseman Eric Hosmer, outfielder Alex Gordon, designated hitter Billy Butler, and pitcher James Shields. While I ultimately believe they can’t catch the Tigers, I do expect the Royals to take the next step and capture a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. Also, don’t be surprised if the Cleveland Indians can make another run at the playoffs, especially with their lineup under the management of Terry Francona.

American League West

1.     Oakland Athletics
2.     Texas Rangers
3.     Los Angeles Angels
4.     Seattle Mariners
5.     Houston Astros 

In the end, the only real story in the AL West will be how many games the Oakland Athletics will finish in front of everybody else. While there is a lot of talent in this division, the A’s are just the best team from top to bottom, hands down.

Their toughest opponents will only be the Texas Rangers, who, in my opinion, will fail to reach their win total from last season of 91 wins, which in a tough American League can’t even get you a Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

American League Championship Series – Oakland Athletics vs. Boston Red Sox

National League Championship Series – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals

World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Boston Red Sox – LA in Six Games

American League Awards

Cy Young – Yu Darvish

MVP – Mike Trout

Manager – Ned Yost

National League Awards

Cy Young – Clayton Kershaw

MVP – Bryce Harper

Manager – Bud Black