ESPN Expert Predictions

[metsguy234]

Viewable here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/previe...=08expertpicks

19 ESPN Writers made their picks
Here are all of the picks compiled together:
Division Winners
NL East
Mets- 10
Braves- 7
Phillies-2

NL Central
Cubs- 17
Brewers-2

NL West
Diamondbacks-9
Dodgers-7
Rockies-2
Padres- 1

AL East
Red Sox-14
Yankees-5

AL Central
Tigers-10
Indians-9

AL West
Angels- 10
Mariners-9

Wild Card

NL
METS 5 (Picked to win Division and Wild Card LOL)
PHILLIES 4
BRAVES 3
BREWERS 3
DBACKS 2
DODGERS 1
PADRES 1

AL
INDIANS 6
TIGERS 5
RED SOX 4
YANKEES 2
ANGELS 1
CUBS 1 (Pedro Gomez accidentally (I hope) voted for them as his AL Wild Card (he still put an NL team (the Mets) in the NL spot) )

Pennants

NL
Mets 7
Cubs 3
Braves 3
Dodgers 3
Diamondbacks 3

AL
Tigers 8
Indians 6
Red Sox 3
Angels 1
Yankees 1

World Champion
Tigers 6
Indians 3
Mets 2
Red Sox 2
Braves 2
Cubs 2
Dodgers 1
Angels 1


Most commonly occuring World Series matchup prediction is the 4 people that predicted Mets vs. Tigers

Tigers won 3 times, Mets won once.

[HoustonGM]

Yeah. ESPN's "experts" except for Keith Law, made predictions where the average team wins around 82 or 83 wins, even though that's impossible. They basically just look at each team, and say "I think this team will win X games." For a fan prediction or whatever, it doesn't matter if the league doesn't average out correctly, because, well, it's just a fan's prediction. But I expect better from "experts."

[HoustonGM]

I don't. I have never been given any reason to expect perfection. I don't even think that their job description demands they be perfect. They just need to be good media. That's their real job.

Than they shouldn't call themselves experts. Because they're not.

[HoustonGM]

expert doesn't mean perfect, though. I think we are implying the perfection. I don't anyone who made predictions on TV and claimed they were better than anyone else.

Being an expert, you should make expert claims. Predicting a league in which the average team wins more than 81 games is not something an expert should do.

[CatKnight]

Being an expert doesn't mean you have to know an average team wins half its games...

Or that there are 162 games in a season....

...or that the fist sized round thing with red stiching is a baseball...

[HoustonGM]

haha

[Reade]

Or a glove is used to catch the ball not to keep your hands warm

[JayC]

Just wait until the Cubs win the AL wild card. Then you guys will eat your words, and bow down to the expert ESPN crew!

[RedsoxRockies]

Wow the Cubs are overrated! The Reds are a lot better, and everyone seems to have forgotten about the Brewers after they fell apart last year. They could definatly put up a fight.

[HoustonGM]

Wow the Cubs are overrated!

How so?

The Reds are a lot better, and

"A lot"? They could be better. They also could be worse. After all, Corey Patterson and his career .298 OBP is manning center field AND the leadoff spot. Scott Hatteberg is starting over Joey Votto. Baker's up to his old tricks again.

everyone seems to have forgotten about the Brewers after they fell apart last year. They could definatly put up a fight.

They could, but just as easily, they could fall apart. Their pitching staff is incredibly risky. Capuano's gone for who knows how long. Sheets has made roughly 20 starts each in the last 3 seasons. Gallardo's starting the season on the DL. Dave Bush is the only guy you can really count on for 30 starts, and he could either finally live up to his peripherals and post a low-4's ERA, or he could just as easily post an ERA north of 5. Manny Parra has great potential, but a lengthy injury history. Who knows what to expect from Carlos Villanueva..

[Reade]

Wow the Cubs are overrated! The Reds are a lot better,

What planet are u on? They won the division last year and have added Fukudome, they also now have a fully healthy Soriano and Lee both of which were less than 100% last season. And add in the fact that Zambrano wasn't as good last year as he was the 2 years before that, plus if Wood stays healthy they could very well have one of the best 7-8-9 inning guys(Marmol,Howry) in the league.

What have the Reds done? Oh they signed Patterson and Cordero. Cordero was a great move, but when you have guys like Mercker, Stanton, Weathers in the bullpen Cordero won't get many save chances. And after Harang who knows what you'll get from that starting rotation.

[boomboom]

Being an expert, you should make expert claims. Predicting a league in which the average team wins more than 81 games is not something an expert should do.

being an expert is not about messing up predictions,it is by knowing the in- and out outs of the game. There is no reason why they should make a mistake like that. But I would concider Peter Gammons an expert, Jayson Stark, Rob Neyer all experts.... There job is too write about Baseball, they watch a lot of baseball, dig through box scores and recaps and write who is better, what teams are struggling and why and why the heck did the Mariners and the Diamondbacks have winning records..

Usually thou in predictions, there is a +/- for wins and losses tied too their predictions to make them more accurate...so you could infact get 81win average. In the ESPN predictions there is no +/- for this.

[boomboom]

Wow the Cubs are overrated! The Reds are a lot better, and everyone seems to have forgotten about the Brewers after they fell apart last year. They could definatly put up a fight.

The Cubs are not overated. I pick them to be in the World Series. Seriously. I like what I see from them.

[HoustonGM]

being an expert is not about messing up predictions,it is by knowing the in- and out outs of the game. There is no reason why they should make a mistake like that. But I would concider Peter Gammons an expert, Jayson Stark, Rob Neyer all experts.... There job is too write about Baseball, they watch a lot of baseball, dig through box scores and recaps and write who is better, what teams are struggling and why and why the heck did the Mariners and the Diamondbacks have winning records..

I don't think Gammons or Neyer submitted actual "predicted standings." I forget exactly which "experts" it was. I know Stark, Keith Law, and Steve Phillips had 'em, and there was 2 or 3 other "experts." Law, Neyer, and Gammons, I like. Stark is okay. Phillips...I cannot stand him.

[boomboom]

Phillips is only at ESPN because of his different point of view, he was not a manager, or player (I could be mistaken) but he was a GM. (I can't stand him either)