March 31, 2013 - Richard's 2013 Predictions - Rich considers the big-spending Indians and Blue Jays to be eventual division champions, but it is Toronto holdover Jose Bautista who will lead his new-look squad to their first World Series appearance in 20 years. This contrasts with his view of the NL, which he figures to unfold much the same as last season. The Dodgers replace the Cardinals as the second Wild Card team, but the Giants head back to the promised land.

March 31, 2013 - Keith's 2013 Predictions - Keith is of the opinion that the two blockbuster trades consummated by the Arizona Diamondbacks will benefit all of the teams involved - Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Atlanta - but none more so than the D-backs themselves. He also likes their mini-trade partner, the Oakland A's, to repeat in the AL West behind a strong comeback campaign from Brett Anderson, only to meet their usual fate in the playoffs.

March 30, 2013 - San Francisco Giants Team Preview - Find out why Richard believes that the San Francisco Giants are primed to repeat as World Series Champions and become the first-ever National League team to win the World Series in three out of four years.

The results are in for the 2013 Hall of Fame voting. In the first ballot to prominently feature players implicated in PED scandals, no one reached the 75% mark necessary for election, with Craig Biggio coming closest at 68.2%. Fittingly, with all of the ethical issues surrounding the so-called steroid scandal, the one player who will be enshrined in 2013 is a Deacon.

Deacon White, a 19th-century player who excelled offensively at two demanding defensive positions, was a unanimous selection for the Baseball Evolution Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot and gains enshrinement to Cooperstown in 2013 after a special election. White played catcher barehanded in the early years of his career and is credited with pioneering the use of a catcher's mitt and other protective equipment for backstops.

Last season, the staff of BaseballEvolution.com was all about the Atlanta Braves, a team that hadn't made the playoffs in four seasons.  Those Braves reached the postseason before losing to the eventual World Champs.  This year, Baseball Evolution is bigtime-backing the Oakland A's, another squad that hasn't seen the postseason in four years.

Should we therefore expect the A's to excel this year?  Given some of the other great picks by the staff last year, it's a good bet.  Scott was correct when he predicted that the Rangers would win their division and that James Shields would lead the AL in hits allowed.  Asher nailed exact win totals for both the Mets and the Cubs and foresaw Felipe Lopez winning the Alex Gonzalez of the Marlins Award.  As you might expect, Richard picked the Giants to make the postseason and their closer to lead all of baseball in saves.  Keith didn't let Joe Nathan's injury deter him from selecting the Twins as AL Central champs nor the Marlins' defense deter him from picking Josh Johnson as the NL's ERA leader.

On the other hand, Keith is the one who overestimated Adam Lind's batting average by nearly a hundred points and Everth Cabrera's stolen base total by 45.  Scott had Aramis Ramirez leading the NL in batting average and the Giants winning just 75 games.  Richard didn't select a single correct division winner, and Asher made us all laugh by picking the Mariners and Diamondbacks to win the two West divisions.

Still, when these bold prognosticators all agree on something, it's worth taking note.  Peruse the most comprehensive baseball prognostications you'll find anywhere and look forward to an Oaktown October!

We do have one dissenting viewpoint to offer; Karl believes that the Texas Rangers will the AL West for the second year in a row.