The Great PECOTA.

It's time to party like it's 2008.

PECOTA released their 2010 rankings yesterday. And while they make my frigid little heart just a little bit happier, they do seem somewhat unbelievable. They have the East lining up: Tampa (96 wins), Boston (95 wins), New York (93 win), Baltimore (79 wins), and Toronto (71). I can see that. If Theo's scheme works, then I could see it coming down to the wire between the three teams at the top. The Sox also face Tampa and New York a combined nine times in September/October, which could be either exhilarating or painful.

But I think things get a little screwy in their predictions for the AL West. Obviously, they haven't had a big off season (Joel Pinero *tilde implied* and Matsui being their big pick ups) but I find it hard to believe that the Angels would finish under .500. I think Texas might disappoint again; their pitching was improved last year but they did seem to wilt toward the end of the season. If I had to pick someone to win the West beside picking the Angels, then I'd probably go with Seattle; they might not really be able to hit too much but they can pitch and they can defend. And maybe I'm biased by the fact that without looking it up, I can't really name any of Oakland's infield but I don't see them finishing in first. In my defense, I do do better with the outfield (2 out of 3; Rajai Davis, Covelli, and the other guy). I've got four out of five names for the starting rotation (Sheets--who is a nice pickup, if he can be, you know, not broken, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, and Justin Duchscherer). Their 'pen has Craig Breslow, Josh Outman (remembered solely for the name), and Andrew Bailey. I do know that their catcher is Kurt Suzuki.

The Central does seem to be a draw from the hat. The Royals won't win and barring some astounding miracle neither will Cleveland. Both Detroit and Chicago would appear to be able to pitch but might run into some trouble with the hitting aspect of baseball. Which leaves Minnesota; they can pitch a little bit and they can hit a little bit, which might just be enough to win the Central.

I don't know if baseball can get here soon enough.