"On The Mark": "On the Mark" MLB Preview

Let's call a spade a spade and agree that baseball is and always will be Americas Favorite Pastime.

Although most would rather watch Cops re-runs than a nine inning game on television - it still remains the most popular sport in America. With that said - Here is the OTM 2011 Preview.

American League Top 5

1. Boston Red Sox : 102 - 60 (AL East Champions)

2. Chicago White Sox: 96-66 (AL Central Champions)

3. New York Yankees: 91-71 (AL Wildcard Champions)

4. Texas Rangers: 88-74 (AL West Champions)

5. Tampa Bay Rays: 85-77

On paper the Red Sox have possibly their best lineup in team history. When compared to the 2004 roster that set a record for runs and homers in a season - it literally blows them away. If Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury can stay healthy - David Ortiz maintains his 25 HR - 90 RBI numbers - and John Lackey and Josh Beckett combine for 27 wins - this team may exceed the 102 win prediction.

The Chicago White Sox are my sleeper team for 2011. Their lineup is extremely deep and will mash the ball in their hitter friendly ballpark. Alex Rios, Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko and the addition of Adam Dunn will provide more than enough power for the Sox in white. Along with a strong rotation and speed on the basepaths, watch out for this team to be a threat in the playoffs.

The Yankees and Rangers who were both in last years AL Championship Series will both make the 2011 playoffs, but due to other teams improving and losing some key players they won't top the list. The Yankees rotation is quite thin with the loss of Andy Pettitte and they will have to rely on their explosive offense to make noise this season. Although the back of their bullpen is stacked - they will still need the starters to put in quality starts in order to be successful. As for the Rangers, the loss of Cliff Lee was crucial to their starting rotation. Again, they will have to be strong and consistent offensively to have another Cindarella season.

Tampa Bay rounds out the Top five despite losing all-stars Matt Garza, Carlos Pena, Jason Bartlett and Carl Crawford. The Rays also lost a chunk of thier bullpen as Dan Wheeler, Grant Balfour, JP Howell and Rafael Soriano all parted ways in the off-season. New additions Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon look to lead a young team back to the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive season. The Rays still have a solid rotation and are excited for the debut of "Hellboy" Jeremy Hellickson who boasts a high 90' fastball.

National League Top 5

1. Philadelphia Phillies : 97 - 65 (NL East Champions)

2. Milwaukee Brewers: 95-67 (NL Central Champions)

3. Atlanta Braves: 91-71 (NL Wildcard Champions)

4. LA Dodgers: 89-73 (NL West Champions)

5. St. Louis Cardinals: 88-74

While the Red Sox boast the best hitting squad on paper, there is no question that the Phillies have the best pitching rotation. The caliber of pitching is pretty insane and should easily carry them to an NL East Title. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton round out the crew. Blanton, the fifth starter, could likely be any other teams 2nd or 3rd starter, showing how much depth the rotation provides. Not to take any attention away from the offense which is led by veterans Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino. The only question will be the health of Chase Utley. Utley is the midst of a nagging knee injury and will likely be out until the All-Star Break if not longer. Despite the injury, the Phillies will have no problem locking up thier division.

The Brewers and Braves are both my sleeper picks in the National League. Brewers winning the NL Central and Braves stealing the Wild Card. The Brewers had a few hiccups last season, but the young team will come back strong in 2011. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun are both all-world players and the emergence of Casey McGeehee, Rickie Weeks, Carlos Gomez and Corey Hart makes this a team to be reckoned with. Meanwhile the Braves will have tough league competition with the Phillies and Mets, but will come out as Wildcard Champs. The acqusition of Dan Uggla will prove to be a smart one as he is projected to hit 30 homers and knock in over a hundred runs. Forget the sophomore slump with Jason Heyward and expect him to have a monster year for the Braves. With young-studs like Heyward and Hanson and the leadership of Chipper Jones, Brian McCann and Derek Lowe the Braves will have a good balance to lift them to the second season.

Rounding up the National League is the eventual NL West Champions the Dodgers and the team outside the bubble, the Cardinals of St. Louis. Without the Manny being Manny destraction I feel the Dodgers will be a top contender this season. With offensive threats like Matt Kemp, Andre Either and James Loney to assist a solid rotation of Kershaw, Billingsly, Lilly, Kuroda and Garland the Dodgers appear to have more punch than the defending World Series Champion S.F. Giants. The St. Louis Cardinals have the best player in baseball in Albert Pujols. They also have a tremendous talent in Matt Holiday. But after those two players the roster quickly waters down. The only true stud in the rotation is Chris Carpenter and after him is an extreme drop off. The Cardinals will make some noise, but will eventually fall short of the playoffs.

2011 PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

I know a lot of you may think I am crazy, but this is how I see it. It's easy to be like Obama and just take the #1 seeds through the tournament, not this guy.

Although the best team on paper is the Red Sox, it doesn't mean that team always comes out the victor. I feel the power and poise of the Chicago White Sox will be enough to come out American League Champions. The Phillies are coming off back-to-back NL East series matchups, so I expect them to take what is rightfully theres as NL Champs.

World Series Champions