Wild, Wild Card Predictions

BY KYLE KEOUGH AND OPEY HIGGINS
DOUBLE DAY DAILY

Opey: Season four of Double Day has been full of surprises. We've had three players hit for the cycle, four no-hitters, and a huge struggle over the playoffs. The AL is probably the closest when it comes to battle for playoff position. Who is your favorite, Kyle?

Kyle: The Lords have strong pitching and an exceptional bullpen and I think they're the most well-rounded bunch of the teams jockeying for a wild-card spot.

Opey: I would have to agree with you...with Joaquin Martinez heading their offense and having a phenomenal season, they will be tough to beat.

Kyle: I also believe that SLC is going to clinch the second wild card birth. New York might offer some resistence, and Boston will remain in the mix, but Salt Lake City should have the depth to keep from tiring down the stretch.

Opey: SLC with three men over 30 HRs are very hard to beat. I will call out the underdog here...I say NY takes the second spot. Boston is in the middle of a "crisis" trading guys...yes, currently they're winning, but can they keep up this level of play long? St. Louis is coming up fast as well, going 9-1 in the last 10.

Kyle: Well, for Boston and Baltimore, it'll come down to the very last series. Both have key series down the stretch--as well as a late-season showdown--and those division games are likely going to decide it. For St. Louis, it might be a matter of too little, too late.

Opey: You could be right...but who knows? Boston or Baltimore might even take the division which will change the whole look of the AL Wild Card race. How IRS plays for Boston will determine a lot down to the last game.

Kyle: Philly has been faltering lately, so I could see them dropping that division. There are still a ton of different ways the AL playoff picture could shape up.

Opey: Okay, let's move on to the actual playoffs...who is the strongest team in the AL? Whod o you think has the tools to make it to the ALCS?

Kyle: Albuquerque is head-and-shoulders above everyone but is not impervious to getting bounced from the AL. I still think they make it to the WS, but they have some competition. Meeting them will likely be either Montreal or Jackson - both teams are pretty tough.

Opey: I say the ALCS will be between Albuquerque and SLC. Montreal doesn't have the push it needs to surpass anyone in five games. Jackson is strong with their pitching but I feel they are lacking defensively. However, SLC has to get in to be there.

Kyle: Well, the knock on SLC is their rotation depth and their youth. Are they too young to be prepared to play playoff baseball? We'll find out.

Opey: Yes we will. Your AL MVP right now?

Kyle: That's difficult to call, but I think I'd have to go with Barry Broadhurst. He has outshined everyone in terms of run production, and while there are other productive sluggers out there, he's done the most for his club.

Opey: I agree. Compared to the others he would be my pick...I look at Albert O'Brien but his team is not officially in the playoff hunt just yet. Okay, switching gears: let's talk about the NL. Your wild card predictions?

Kyle: Well, I think Wichita will walk away with it pretty easily. And for the second team, I have to go with Toledo. These are both tough, experienced clubs that were right there last year and will be back there again this season. I don't see anything changing. Oakland and Chicago are fading fast: look out beloooooow!

Opey: I'll say that the two leading right now will have the spots. Wichita and Toledo win too much to let Oakland even get within four games of them. Oakland has pretty much dropped the season due largely to a .269 team BA and a 4.34 team ERA. That's too much for the NL. Chicago was looking to seriously turn it on before the trade deadline. Now...the lights are out.

Kyle: Oakland doesn't have the rotation to compete at a high level in the NL yet. If interleague taught us anything, they're a pretty good AL team stuck in the NL. That won't result in a postseason appearance.

Opey: Not at all. I see a change of scenary for Wall and Hines next season...

Okay, playoffs. In the NL, who's the team?

Kyle: The NL is far less cluttered than the AL in that things seem to go to script. I don't really see any way that we don't see Louisville versus Durham again in the NLCS.

Opey: I tend to agree there...but it would be nice to see a change...maybe an Omaha appearance in the NLCS.

Kyle: Anything can happen, but those two teams are the clear frontrunners. If anyone can make it past them, it's probably Omaha. That rotation will pose problems for any team.

Opey: Yes. If Dan Hudler returns to MVP form, Durham will represent the NL in the WS.

Kyle: I have Louisville, following another seven-game classic with durham.

Opey: Who is your NL MVP?

Kyle: Lefty Moore.

Opey: Even on a losing team?

Kyle: And that's a clear choice for me. Yes, he's on a last-place team, but imagine how bad that club would be without him. That offense was the absolute worst in the majors last season. For him to have the season he's having, yes, he deserves that award.

Opey: Yes, I agree...I will support that depending on how well Wichita ends up going into the playoffs. Silva has given them a real shot.

Kyle: Nobody else in the NL has really stepped up to claim it. Silva is probably the closest one.

Opey: It's surprising to not see a Durham or Louisville player on the list. Only two players are coming from certain playoff contenders.

Kyle: I expect for Oswaldo Navarro to sneak onto that list over Albert Wall at some point.

Opey: I would hope so. Wall has been playing below his average all season. Okay: who is the best player not on the MVP list?

Coonja: Hudler.

Kyle: Believe it or not, it's Bruce Shea. He legitimately could be Jackson's MVP, pitcher or not, yet he'd never get considered.

Opey: Whoa! Who's that? Welcome to "Coonja," the owner of the Durham Tobacconists. I will go with Bob Scutaro from SLC. Or, even in the NL...Purcell.

Coonja: How the hell do you figure with Shea? His stats are behind both Pena and Lopez's.

Kyle: Because he leads the majors in wins and pitches against DHs. The AL has the large majority of the highest scoring teams in DD, so I can forgive a high ERA.

Opey: But that's where MVP should go to the hitters.

Coonja: Of course he leads the league in wins...Jax throws him every game...dude already has 32 starts compared to 25 for Pena and 23 for Lopez.

Opey: And I agree, anyone in the AL that can maintain an OAV of .230 is doing well.

Kyle: Well, I give Shea credit for pitching often. He's helping to carry that team to a playoff birth.