Presented without analysis, here are my MLB playoff predictions:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore over Yankees, three games to one.
Tigers over A’s, three games to two.
ALCS: Tigers over Orioles, four games to two.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Reds over Giants, three games to one.
Cardinals over Nationals, three games to two.
NLCS: Reds over Cardinals, four games to one.
And your 2012 World Series Champions will be… the Cincinnati Reds, taking out the Detroit Tigers in six games.
A few quick links:
- If you are looking for playoff predictions by someone a lot smarter than me – someone who actually watched Major League Baseball instead of Triple-A all year – I invite you to check out Larry Stone’s picks.
- Add my man Rob Neyer to the growing lists of analysts who believe the infield fly ruling was the correct call in the Cardinals – Braves wild card game. He gives a very convincing argument, while noting that in the end it all comes down to a judgement call.
- Former Mariners infielder and TV analyst Harold Reynolds also thinks the call was correct.
- Omaha Storm Chasers/Kansas City Royals pitcher Everett Teaford had the funniest line on twitter about the play.
- When the fans threw garbage on the field in Atlanta, it reminded me of one of the three games I have attended at Wrigley Field. Yes, I was there, in the left field bleachers, on Randy Myers Poster Day.
- Larry Stone reports that the Mariners are not bringing back Class-A High Desert manager Pedro Grifol, or minor league hitting coordinator Jose Castro. Castro was the Rainiers interim manager when Tacoma won the PCL title in 2010 – Daren Brown got promoted to Seattle in August that year.
- The Mariners are going to have the 12th pick in the 2013 draft. Here is the first round draft order.
We’ll be back early in the week – either Monday or Tuesday – with a complete list of former Rainiers on the eight remaining MLB playoff teams. Later in the week, we’ll start looking at how some of the non-Mariner former Rainiers in the majors performed this season.