Spring training is in full swing, and that can only mean one thing: baseball predictions. I'll be writing an obscenely in-depth analysis for Frenzy Football, but I thought I'd at least share a brief version of what I think will happen in 2003 here at EoFF. The full version will be available there whenever I get done with it.

** = wild card

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

Why the Red Sox will win the AL East: the new additions. Despite all of the money George Steinbrenner has spent revamping his ballclub, I like the fact that Boston has really improved in the areas that needed the most help. Curt Schilling gives the rotation a 1-2-3 punch as good as any in baseball, and Keith Foulke gives Boston the best closer from the American League in 2003.

Even though they didn't land Alex Rodriguez, fans need not fret because, after all, the Sox still have Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez. The offense as a whole was the most dynamic since the 1927 Yankees, and with eight returning starters (Todd Walker is the lone departure) from that cast, the Red Sox will slug their way to the top of the division.

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

Why the Royals will win the Central: opportunity. The AL Central is, by far, the weakest division in baseball. GM Allan Baird did a phenomenal job in improving a team that surprised everyone in 2003, despite a limited budget. Combined with the relative inactivity/weakening of their closest competition (Chicago and Minnesota), the time is right for Tony Pena's group to step to the top of the heap.

They lost Raul Ibanez, but signed Juan Gonzalez. They'll get full years from Brian Anderson and Mike Sweeney, and players like Angel Berroa and Aaron Guiel will be improved. Kansas City will take this crown.

West
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Anaheim Angels
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Texas Rangers

Why the A's will win the West: The Big Three, plus two. Oakland lost their best hitter (Miguel Tejada) and their closer (Keith Foulke) in the offseason, and made only small splashes of their own while Anaheim and Seattle opened their coffers to sign some big names. Yet the A's aren't worried. Why not? Hudson, Zito, Mulder, Redman and Harden.

Despite an offense that ranked 26th in average, 21st in on-base percentage and 14th in runs, Oakland won 96 games on the strength of the second-best staff in baseball. Despite a dropoff in the win column, 2002 Cy Young winner Barry Zito posted an outstanding 3.30 ERA. Mulder would likely have been the runaway Cy Young winner last year if not for a leg injury, but he posted a 15-9 record with a 3.13 ERA before getting knocked out. Tim Hudson played the role of staff workhorse, and was the team's best pitcher at 16-7, 2.70.

When you throw in the fact that Mark Redman was decidedly better than Ted Lilly last year, and that they'll be getting a full year from Rich Harden, it's hard to bet against these guys.

National League
East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Florida Marlins
3. Atlanta Braves
4. New York Mets
5. Montreal Expos

Why the Phillies will win the East: redemption. Philadelphia had the wild card in their grasp before the entire team crumbled in the last two weeks, allowing Florida to speed past them and end up in the playoffs. For all of the things the Phillies almost overcame last year, they know they could've been so much better.

Pat Burrell had a miserable season after a breakout 2002. Jimmy Rollins was a disappointment, as was David Bell. The rotation of Vicente Padilla, Randy Wolf, Kevin Millwood and Brett Myers faded down the stretch. The closer situation was an absolute mess. All of these things can be turned around, and they likely will.

Burrell has been working to get his stroke back. Bell is healthy, and the Phillies managed to get Millwood back for another year. The trade for Billy Wagner solved their greatest weakness in about the best way possible. They know they were a disappointment, and with Atlanta's grasp on the division apparently faltering, they'll be hungry to seize the title.

Central
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Houston Astros**
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

Why the Cubs will win the Central: they won the arms race. Houston made some bold moves by signing Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte as hometown heroes, and the Astros rotation can be argued as the best in baseball. Now that the Cubbies have their hands on Maddux, I believe that their rotation is thoroughly better.

The rotation of Prior, Wood, Clement, Maddux and Zambrano has the edge on Pettitte, Clemens, Oswalt, Miller and Redding in just about every category: wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts, WHIP and (by a huge margin) strikeouts. Maddux also brings the young guns a knowledge of the league's hitters that Pettitte and Clemens don't have, and a work ethic that will rub off onto them. It is this author's opinion that the Cubs have the best rotation in baseball now, and that will carry them to the division title.

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

Why the Giants will win the West: depth. Admittedly, there was a lot of criticism from fellow Giants fans about the anxiety concerning the team's small ventures into the free agents pool (as in, they supposedly didn't find someone to hit behind Barry Bonds), but at the cost the team would've endured to sign a Vladimir Guerrero or a Greg Maddux, they wouldn't have been able to sign A.J. Pierzynski. And Dustin Mohr. And J.T. Snow. And Matt Herges. And about five other players.

San Francisco won 100 games in 2003, and only Atlanta and the Yankees won more. The only player to appear in more than 150 games was Jose Cruz, Jr., because the team didn't need the same nine people on the field every day to beat their opponents. Players like Pedro Feliz, Jeffery Hammonds and Neifi Perez were polished enough to allow manager Felipe Alou to rest his stars occassionally with confidence that the team would still win.

This off-season was more of the same plan, with the only new expected starter being Pierzynski. The Giants have a deep bench that will serve them well as it did in 2003, and considering their main rivals are still a step or two behind in challenging (Arizona's lack of pitching, L.A.'s lack of offense), the Giants are a safe bet to repeat as division champions.

So then. . . do you have any thoughts about this? Any predictions of your own? Let's discuss, the time is upon us!