By Anthony Stalter (astalter@bullz-eye.com)

03/30/2007

Sports Channel / Baseball Home / Bullz-Eye Home

Long gone are the days when the big spenders ruled the roost. Sure, large-market teams like the Dodgers, Red Sox and, of course, the Yankees will be in the thick of things again this year, but Oakland, San Diego and Minnesota all won their respective divisions last season despite finishing in the middle of the payroll pack. And while the Cardinals and Tigers weren't exactly pinching pennies in 2006, they both finished outside the top-10 in team payroll and still found themselves playing for all the marbles last October.

So what does it all mean? Simple: everyone has a shot. Well, okay, maybe not everyone -- we're not betting the farm on a Royals/Pirates World Series -- but by our count, at least 23 teams have a chance to contend for the playoffs this year. Granted, not all 23 will, but in terms of pure talent, the field is once again wide open in 2007.

AL EAST	AL CENTRAL	AL WEST
1. New York Yankees 2. Boston Red Sox 3. Toronto Blue Jays 4. Baltimore Orioles 5. Tampa Bay Devil Rays MORE...	1. Detroit Tigers 2. Chicago White Sox 3. Cleveland Indians 4. Minnesota Twins 5. Kansas City Royals MORE...	1. Los Angeles Angels 2. Oakland A’s 3. Texas Rangers 4. Seattle Mariners   MORE...
NL EAST	NL CENTRAL	NL WEST
1. Philadelphia Phillies 2. New York Mets 3. Atlanta Braves 4. Florida Marlins 5. Washington Nationals   MORE...	1. St. Louis Cardinals 2. Chicago Cubs 3. Houston Astros 4. Milwaukee Brewers 5. Cincinnati Reds 6. Pittsburgh Pirates MORE...	1. Los Angeles Dodgers 2. San Diego Padres 3. San Francisco Giants 4. Arizona Diamondbacks 5. Colorado Rockies   MORE...

Postseason

AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox
NL Wild Card: New York Mets

AL Champion: Detroit Tigers
NL Champion: New York Mets
World Series Champion: Detroit Tigers

CY Young Award

AL: C.C. Sabathia, Cleveland Indians
NL: Carlos Zambrano, Chicago Cubs

MVP Award

AL: Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels
NL: David Wright, New York Mets

Rookie of the Year

AL: Delmon Young, OF, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
NL: Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies

Manager of the Year

AL: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels
NL: Willie Randolph, NY Mets