The Toronto Blue Jays will win the 2008 World Series. Yes, this may seem like a crazy prediction but, upon analysing all of the contending teams in MLB, the Blue Jays have all the ingredients to produce the goods.

Pitching, defense and timely hitting are what win in the play-offs, but first you have to get there, which means that a team needs certain elements to prevail over the grind of a 162-game season.

Good health, consistent starting pitching, a home field advantage and opportunistic hitting is what carries teams into the play-offs. Several teams have these elements but, in my view, the Blue Jays are the best suited.

'The Blue Jays will reign supreme because they have strong starting pitching, a reliable bullpen and an experienced line-up capable of scoring runs. They also have an excellent manager in John Gibbons'


The pre-season favorites to contend for the play-offs are the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers.

There a few other teams that could also be included in this mix, but the reason the Blue Jays will reign supreme is because they have strong starting pitching, a reliable bullpen and an experienced line-up capable of scoring runs. They also have an excellent manager in John Gibbons.

Health is always a major concern for any team in any sport, and this has been a problem for the Blue Jays the last couple of years - specifically with A. J. Burnett and closer B. J. Ryan. The health of these two players is crucial to Toronto being successful. If they remain healthy Toronto will have one of the best starting rotations and one of the best closers in the game.

Roy Halladay is a perennial Cy Young candidate, Burnett has an ace’s arsenal of pitches, Shaun Marcum is one of the best young pitchers in the game (12-6, 4.13 ERA in 2007), and Jesse Litsch has shown promise. If these four pitchers can get the majority of starts there is no reason that the Blue Jays should not be able to contend in the AL East on that alone.

In 2007 the Diamondbacks batted .250 but won the NL West solely based on pitching. The Blue Jays have the ability to this, but have the added bonus of a potent offense.

The Blue Jays line-up is loaded with talent. David Eckstein was the catalyst for two World Series teams - the Angels and the Cardinals. Vernon Wells is a gold glove centerfielder and a five tool player. He’s coming off an injury but, once again, if he’s healthy he’s a legitimate all-star and one of the best players in the game.

Frank Thomas is 39 but he’s a hall of famer (.277 26 HR 95 RBI in 2007). Alex Rios is a five tool all-star calibre player (.297 24 HR 85 RBI 17 SB in 2007). Shannon Stewart is an experienced and very capable lead-off hitter, and Lyle Overbay had an off year last time out but batted .315 22 HR 92 RBI in 2006 and is a viable left-hander.

If Scott Rolen can get and remain healthy once again, they will have an experienced veteran that can hit and play great defense at third base. Gregg Zaun and Aaron Hill are solid at catcher and second base.

That being said, once the play-offs start, anything can happen. This is just a fact of baseball. The main obstacle for the Blue Jays is overtaking the Red Sox and Yankees in the AL East - they have finished 1-2 in the AL East eight of the last nine years. But the division is due for a change, and I think this is the year it will happen.

The Yankees and Red Sox both have questions regarding their rotation. Will Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, who are basically rookies, be able to sustain a high level of performance throughout the season? And will an ageing Curt Schilling be able to contribute meaningful innings to the Red Sox this year?

All things considered, the Blue Jays are best equipped to make a run at a world championship. Baseball by nature is unpredictable, so trying to predict a World Series winner at the start of the season is basically a shot in the dark - there are too many variables in the game.

But, from analyzing all the data that’s available and looking at the formula from recent winners - Boston, St Louis, and the Chicago White Sox - consistent starting pitching is the most important component. Toronto has this, along wit  an experienced line-up and a top closer. That's why they are my choice to take home the World Series trophy.

Sports news, Baseball news