My Predictions for the 2014 MLB Award Winners and Predictions from the OPSN Staff!

Here are the predictions I sent in for our collective staff article for the 2014 MLB Awards, Division Winners and World Series Champion (oops, I forgot to do the Wild Cards! My bad! My predictions are below but if you'd like to skip to the full article and see how I ranked among my colleagues the just click here! Enjoy! :-)

My Predictions:

Getty Images

AL MVP: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels: Trout is arguably the best player in the game today. There is no way - barring injury - that he will lose out to Miguel Cabrera for a third straight year.

NL MVP: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals: He's the best defensive catcher right now and probably one of all-time. Molina has also gotten better offensively with age, while he may not have another year as good at the plate as 2012, he hit .313/.361/.481 over the past three seasons and should easily take the award.

AL Cy Young: Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics:  Sure, he is a dark horse in this category but Gray can throw just about any pitch with power and his delivery is so similar on each that it makes it almost impossible to predict what he will throw before it is already out of his hand. He amasses strikeouts and ground ball outs while not giving up many walks. 

NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers: Kershaw may be the highest paid pitcher ever but he is easily the league's best. With two Cy Young wins under his belt, look for him to win another in 2014.

Getty Images

**AL ROY: Sonny Gray, Oakland Athletics: After only starting in 10 games last season and going head to head twice with Verlander in the playoffs and coming out of that looking strong and confident. Gray could win the Cy Young and quite very possibly Rookie of the Year.

**I made a mis-calculation. Gray did in fact pitch 64 innings last season for the A's and cannot be considered for ROY. Sorry about that. In that case my vote goes to SS Xander Bogaerts from the Boston Red Sox.**

NL: ROY: Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds: Billy Hamilton is the fastest player in baseball. He can do it all - hit, field and steal. He's an easy choice for Rookie of the Year.

AL MOY: Bob Melvin, Oakland Athletics: If they A's win their third straight AL West Title there is no doubt that Melvin, who won Manager of the Year in 2012 and was a runner up in 2013 will easily be MOY again.

NL MOY: Matt Williams, Washington Nationals: With an already put together team the Nats new manager should have an easy job taking them all they way.

AL Comeback Player: Grady Sizemore, Boston Red Sox: Sizemore wasn't even supposed to make the roster, fighting for his spot in CF with Jackie Bradley Jr. but he is their starter. If he stays healthy he should produce and make a great comeback.

NL Comeback Player: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers: After a season of injuries if Kemp stays healthy he could very possibly end up as the NL Comeback Player of the Year.

AL East: Boston Red Sox: It was a close call but the Red Sox will not slack after winning it all last year. If Xander Bogaerts produces as expected and Grady Sizemore makes a comeback with David Ortiz to lead the team (and probably add clutch dramatic HRs) the Red Sox will take the East.

Getty Images

NL East: Washington Nationals: The Nationals are in a winnable division. With pitchers like Strausburg, Gonzalez, Zimmermann and now Fister (who was one of the best acquisitions of the off-season) and hitters like Werth and Harper, the Nats are well rounded and strong. They will easily take the east and possibly the entire thing.

AL Central: Detroit Tigers: Detroit didn't have the greatest off-season but it is pretty impossible to bet against a team that has Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez. The back end of the Tigers rotation is not as good without Fister but Smyly and Procello should be able to pick up the slack. Off course let's not forget Miguel Cabrera.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals are just as strong as they were last season and are definitely playoff bound. With veterans like Wainright and Holliday to lead the team in the clubhouse and young players like Michael Wacha Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller on the rise they should take the Central again this season. 

AL West: Oakland Athletics: They A's have a great team dynamic going on. Despite the injuries to Parker and Griffin, they still have a young but strong pitching staff. While there is no star hitter on the team the lineup together is strong. They also have added depth on the bench and improved the bullpen. Look for the A's to win their third straight AL Western Division Championship.

Getty Images

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers: They are easily the best team in a terrible division. With Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu, their pitching will be tough to beat. The line up and entire team is more solid after playing last year together. They need to keep Puig leading off and under control but if they do that, winning the West shouldn't be a problem.

World Series: Nationals at Athletics with the Athletics winning in seven games.

CLICK HERE to check out the rest of our staff's predictions!! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC. 

Find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @OPSN_MLB

2013 World Series Game Six: A TRUE STORY: The Day I Wore Red #SockSwag

 ... Red Sox crowned World Series Champions

Make no mistake I am NOT a Red Sox fan .... but I am an AL girl and there were conflicting reasons to root for either team so I went with the Red Sox (you know if you read any of my blog before about the whole mess of the hierarchy of World Series Titles, etc). Plus, I like a few of the players in Boston like David Ortiz aka Big Papi! He so adorably happy all the time, he reminds me of Bartolo Colon a bit (#TeamBartolo) and also playing for the Red Sox were former Athletics, NorCal native Jonny Gomes and the "smartest man in baseball" Craig Breslow ... As I mentioned before as well I'm an American League girl at heart so my alliegence is to the AL. 

Ortiz was named the MVP of the World Series this year, his postseason record is so good it's awe inspiring! And he performed as well or better than he did almost a decade ago when the Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918. Ortiz's lifetime postseason batting average is .295 with 17 home runs. One might think he'd have big numbers playing for contenders like the Twins and now the Red Sox combining for a total of 82 post season games having gone to the ALDS eight times, the ALCS six times and the World Series three times! But it's hard to keep an almost .300 avg  having played what equals to a full half season's worth of post season games! Yes, Big Papi has had the good fortune of playing for competitive teams but every time he goes to the playoffs he is CLUTCH and this year was no different! He deserved that MVP award! Congrats Big Papi!!


Earlier today I wrote an entire blog post about all this and much more using my phone, turns out that even though I have app on my phone - it was all lost because it wouldn't publish! Apparently my phone isn't compatible with Blogger. It's a Galaxy S3 I can't imagine why it wouldn't work. I need a new phone anyway so I think I will make sure my new one is compatible. Now I feel like I am just completely rambling but earlier I felt like I had more content and meat to the whole thing. Ugh! Frustrating much?! So here are some pics of my Red SockSwag! I will write and add more to this tomorrow most likely but for now this is all I got in me ... keep getting distracted by wanting to watch Pitch Perfect! LOL! 

I was definitely ready to watch some baseball with my SockSwag, JD, Bud Light, Diet Coke and my #OaklandKoozieSwag .... only thing missing was the pizza but it was about to arrive! hehehe!

UnPlanned Blog - Oakland A's News - Good and Bad ... There should be 4 names on the short list for 3B GG!

Wasn't planning on even using the internet today but I as any addict would, logged on just once ... this once made me discover a couple of things! One that was beneficial for me and the other that just made me f*ckin' pissed off so here I go writing my strong opinions once again ... 

Number 1 - The Good News

The good new is that I was unexpectedly featured AGAIN in this week's Fan Friday edition of The Crown Sports! It's not a special on A's fans this time but I was included!! Very Cool! Thanks for the #OaklandSockSwag Love Crown Sports! Much appreciated!

Here's the link:  http://thecrownsports.com/2013/10/25/fan-friday-4/

Check the pics out if you like! You've probably seen them before but I am always excited when another person or the media recognize me! It's an honor! :-)

Number 2 - The Annoying News ....

Well the Athletics have been honored with 2 Gold Glove Nominees for 2013!! That's great right? But it's not as ideal, even for a team that often gets overlooked. Once again Josh Donaldson's the A's AmAzing 3rd Baseman (you can follow him on Twitter @BringerOfRain20) was snubbed, just as he was for the 2013 All-Star Game. Now I understand (as most of you would begin to stop me here) - I know that 3rd base is as packed a position as shortstop was in the early-mid 00's with Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra! I understand all this and what a tough choice it must be. But I have to stick up for the fact that Donaldson is not as good or better than the three who made the shortlist, Longoria, Machado and Beltre. All of those names belong on the short list but doesn't Donaldson's as well? I mean how bad would it be to give a little recognition where it's due by putting 4 names on the short list, for example. I mean is that really making it a LONG LIST? lol. But in all seriousness, Donaldson't one catch alone, where he dove head first over the left field tarps only to still hold up that ball in victory should put him on that list and we aren't even counting other aspect's of his play this season  Batting over .300 with 24 HR's, .301 BA and 93 RBI's. But those stats don't effect the Gold Glove that Donaldson at the very least deserves to be on that short list - his hustle and success on the field should say enough why there should be 4 names on the short list for 3B Gold Glove for this 2013 MLB Season that is going to be decided by the week's end! I sincerely hope he is on the list for MVP (even if it is in the top 10, Josh Donaldson deserves to be given some well deserved and well fought for recognition! 

Here's the article .... http://www.mlb.com/news/article/oak/as-josh-reddick-and-yoenis-cespedes-are-gold-glove-finalists?ymd=20131025&content_id=63350004&vkey=news_oak


So anyways, that's as about as much as I feel like talking about today ... And I am sure I could have pontificated more but I'm tired ... just two quick things that needed to be addressed today .... #LetsGoOakland!!!!!

#RESPECTOAKLANDBASEBALL!!


**SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to MARK ELLIS of the Los Angeles Dodgers on his 2013 GOLD GLOVE nomination!! We Love You in Oaktown Elli!**