Rachel Crader is the editor of semoball.com. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in May of 2009 before spending the summer covering the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Highlights from Rachel's days in college include having a class down the hall from Chase Daniel and having NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren hold the door open for her at Brady Commons, Mizzou's student center. She spent time covering Mizzou basketball, softball and baseball while working for the Columbia Missourian and is excited to return home to Southeast Missouri to cover local sports for semoball.com.

Rachel has covered three Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournaments for the Southeast Missourian and semoball.com, and she'll see you courtside again this year.

My complete, in-depth MLB predictions

Posted Sunday, March 31, 2013, at 8:37 PM

A lot of you know that I think making predictions is close to the biggest waste of time imaginable, but I was told I had to make MLB predictions for Sunday's print edition of the Southeast Missourian. My picks made it in the paper but not the super-detailed and important reasons that I included, so I thought I'd post them here for your reading pleasure.

The only thing I'll guarantee about these predictions is that they'll be wrong. I know as much solving the world's economic problems and performing brain surgery as I do about most MLB teams at this point in the season.

Division winners:

AL East: Yankees. All the people in the know seem to be picking the Rays, Blue Jays or Orioles, so I figure that means the Yankees will win.

AL Central: Tigers. Verlander.

AL West: Rangers. Because I'm not about to pick the Angels. Ever.

AL Wild Cards: Rays. Royals. I don't actually think KC will make the playoffs, but it's a fun thought for the poor Royals fans I know.

NL East: Nationals. Pretty sure I could manage this team.

NL Central: Cardinals. I'm a homer. Homers pick the home team.

NL West: Dodgers. I believe in the power of Magic Johnson's pearly whites.

NL Wild Cards: Reds. Giants. I don't like either of these teams, so hopefully picking them will prove to be a curse.

NLCS: Cardinals over Nationals. Remember that time these teams played in the playoffs last year? That was fun.

ALCS: Tigers over Rays. Verlander.

World Series: Cardinals over Tigers. I'm a homer. Homers pick the home team. If you can't be unabashedly overoptimistic in March, when can you be?

AL MVP: Mike Trout. He both catches and hits a baseball better than most humans. Plus in a close race, not winning last season will help him because that makes logical sense somehow.

NL MVP: Stephen Strasburg. I'm just picking him because winning the MVP will be about the only way shutting him down last season will make sense.

AL Cy Young: Verlander.

NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg. See above.

Cardinals finish: 92-70

Cardinals keys and why: Getting and staying healthy. It's obvious, but they need their best players playing every day and making every start and that hasn't happened for a few years now.

NL Central darkhorse and why: I guess the Pirates. They're a pretty en vouge pick this season after last year's success (by their recent standards). I'm giving them respect at this point in the year, which says a lot.

Comments

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I predict the Cardinals will win between 75 and 85 games.

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Sun, Mar 31, 2013, at 8:58 PM
At least your picks are honest but you forgot something on that Detroit pick it's....

Verlander, Miggy, Prince

-- Posted by Bunk on Sun, Mar 31, 2013, at 10:00 PM
I think the Cardinals will win somewhere between 1 and 110 games.

-- Posted by TerryHicks4President on Sun, Mar 31, 2013, at 11:15 PM
The Astros lead a division!!

-- Posted by Thot McGee on Sun, Mar 31, 2013, at 11:21 PM
Obviously you have cursed the Rangers Crader thanks

-- Posted by Bunk on Sun, Mar 31, 2013, at 11:47 PM
I just wish Dustin would come out and admit that he is a huge Reds fan and wishes he could have Walt Jocketty's baby.

-- Posted by TerryHicks4President on Mon, Apr 1, 2013, at 10:16 AM
He already refered to him as the Great Walt Jocketty yesterday so I think we all know where he stands

-- Posted by Bunk on Mon, Apr 1, 2013, at 12:31 PM
So what you are saying is that these are you you want to win not actually your predictions? Or I hope they are not your predictions.

-- Posted by SportsMediaInformant on Mon, Apr 1, 2013, at 2:44 PM
I'm saying I don't like to and didn't want to make predictions, but I was forced to so I made these based on the super-detailed and obviously well thought out reasons I listed. As I said, I know as much about solving the world's economic problems as I do about most MLB teams at this point of the year, so I'm not about to act like I actually know what is going to happen.

-- Posted by Rachel Crader on Mon, Apr 1, 2013, at 2:51 PM
Who do you have as the Rookie of the Year in each league?

-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Mon, Apr 1, 2013, at 3:16 PM
Dustin please face palm your self

-- Posted by Bunk on Mon, Apr 1, 2013, at 3:54 PM
lol terryhicks. I got a laugh out of that. too funny... but my prediction and not because im a die hard cardinals fan is that the cardinals will make the playoffs. whether they win the central or are a wild card team. if the bullpen can hold late leads the rest of the year as they haven't been able to a few games early on, I believe they can win the central over the reds, otherwise they might have to settle for a wild card berth. regardless of the outcome. it will be fun to watch the cardinals and reds battle it out all year.

-- Posted by uptobat on Sat, Apr 13, 2013, at 1:33 PM

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