Top 10 Questions For The Upcoming 2009 Baseball Season

Baseball season is almost here. Every season is full of ups and downs for all fanatic baseball lovers. There are unexpected twists and along the way questions are answered. Here are one guy’s top 10 questions for the season. 

10. Can Chris Carpenter return to form?
Carpenter has been injured for most of the last two seasons, but has been a dominant pitcher in the past. Carpenter won a Cy Young award in 2005, but has been under the radar since then. All signs from spring training point to Carpenter being ready to go. Carpenter finished spring training with a 1.52 ERA in six starts, struck out 17 against six walks and did not allow a home run in 23 2/3 innings. 

9. Is Justin Upton as good as rumored and will it show in 2009?
The younger Upton (his brother B.J. Upton plays for the Tampa Bay Rays) has been touted by scouts as the best pure hitter to come into baseball in the last few years and has been compared to Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. Last season at age 20 Upton hit .250 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI in 365 at bats. Consensus seems to be that Upton will be a superstar. The question is whether or not it will be this year. 

8. Will the San Francisco Giants have the best starting rotation in baseball?
It’s easy to say that the Yankees have the best rotation in baseball with C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, and Joba Chamberlain. But this reporter likes a dark horse. Tim Lincecum is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Randy Johnson claims to be healthier than he has been in years and was once one of the greatest pitchers ever to play the game. Matt Cain is probably the most underrated pitcher in all of baseball. Jonathan Sanchez is a very solid prospect who had 157 strikeouts in 158 innings last year. Barry Zito has won a Cy Young and if he can return to his Oakland form is a very solid pitcher. The Giants offense is awful. But their starting pitching has the potential to be the best in baseball.  

7. When will David Price be called up to the majors and what will his impact be?
Price was sent to the minors after losing the competition to be the Rays fifth starter. But being perhaps the best prospect in baseball he won’t be there long. Will Price be dominant or just serviceable or somewhere in the middle? 

6. Will the Rays contend for a playoff spot again?
Last year the Rays shocked many by making it to the World Series. The Yankees reacted by spending over $400 million to ensure that they will be better this year. The Red Sox also quietly made moves to improve. The Rays pretty much have stayed with the guys they had last year. Carl Crawford will be healthy for a full year and Tampa Bay has a core of young superstars. But can they compete with the Yankees and Red Sox again? 

5. How will the Yankees investments in C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira pay off this year?
The Yankees are paying Teixeira less this year than they paid Jason Giambi last year and Teixeira should be a big improvement. He should be solid with around 35 home runs and 120 RBI if he stays healthy all year. The question is whether he will play well under pressure or choke like A-Fraud. Sabathia was dominant over the second half of last season, posting statistics that are almost unheard of these days. He likely will not continue that type of production, but should still easily be one of the top five pitchers in all of baseball. Will these things happens or will the bright lights of New York melt these stars? 

4. How will Alex Rodriguez fare this year?
Steroids. A-Fraud. Madonna. A stripper. A madam. An injury. What next? 

3. Which teams will be surprise contenders?
I’m going with the Cincinnati Reds as my dark horse team. The Rays are proven. If they are successful again it will not be surprising. I also think the Giants could be a nice long-shot to win the National League West.  

2. Who will win the American League East?
The Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox may all be among the best five teams in baseball. All will be slugging it out for the AL East title. I’m picking the Yankees, but I’m biased. This will be fun to watch. 

1. Who will win the World Series?
I’m going with the Yankees again here, but if they don’t win the AL East then insert the division winner as my pick. In the NL I’m going with the Cubs, but they’ll lose to the AL team. Check back in October so you can make fun of me when the White Sox beat the Mets in the World Series.