- David Ortiz apparently leads the league in "smiles." - Chris Berman

- Nick Swisher leads the league in "Fun." - also Berman

- The front man for the band Train can't actually sing...

- John Kruk likes the skinny guys...

- Tim Kurkjian likes his guys strong...

Anyway, onto my prediction...

My first thought was to pick David Ortiz... The ballpark is good for lefties.  However, after further thought, I am not sure he has the stamina to go the distance.  

I would pick Nick Swisher, except I can't stand the Yankees...

The obvious pick would be Miguel Cabrera, but no one who has been leading the majors in home runs has ever won the derby... so my pick is Corey Hart... no real reason for picking him...

American League

C - Joe Mauer

1B - Justin Morneau

2B - Robinson Cano

SS - Derek Jeter

3B - Evan Longoria

OF - Josh Hamilton, Ichiro Suzuki, Carl Crawford

DH - Vladimir Guerrero

P - Clay Buchholz, Trevor Cahill, Fausto Carmona, Neftali Feliz, Phil Hughes, Cliff Lee, Jon Lester, David Price, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, Joakim Soria, Matt Thornton, Jose Valverde

Reserves - C - John Buck (Victor Martinez injury replacement), 1B - Miguel Cabrera, 2B - Ian Kinsler (Dustin Pedroia injury replacement), Ty Wigginton, SS - Elvis Andrus, 3B - Adrian Beltre, Alex Rodriguez, OF - Jose Bautista, Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, DH - David Ortiz

Who Will Start: David Price (11-4, 2.42 ERA)

Who Should Start: Cliff Lee (8-3, 2.34 ERA). Yes, even though he began the season on the D.L. Hughes or Sabathia would also be a good choice.

Who Will Win the Internet Vote: Kevin Youkilis (64 R, 16 HR, 53 RBI, .299 BA).

Who Should Win the Internet Vote: Youkilis, although Michael Young and Paul Konerko certainly are deserving as well.

Final Thoughts: My criticisms here are small: Cabrera should be starting at first, and Jered Weaver deserves to be on the team in his home park (although he probably will be a late addition if Buchholz is placed on the D.L. this week as is being speculated). You may be complaining about Carmona making the team, but who else can you put on here from the Indians now that Shin-Soo Choo is hurt?

National League

C - Yadier Molina

1B - Albert Pujols

2B - Martin Prado (injury replacement for Chase Utley)

SS - Hanley Ramirez

3B - David Wright

OF - Ryan Braun, Andre Ethier, Jason Heyward (injury replacement likely TBA)

P - Jonathan Broxton, Matt Capps, Chris Carpenter, Yovani Gallardo, Roy Halladay, Tim Hudson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Johnson, Tim Lincecum, Evan Meek, Arthur Rhodes, Adam Wainwright, Brian Wilson

Reserves - C - Brian McCann, 1B - Adrian Gonzalez, Ryan Howard, 2B - Brandon Phillips, SS - Jose Reyes (Tulowitzki injury replacement), 3B - Omar Infante, Scott Rolen, OF - Michael Bourn, Marlon Byrd, Corey Hart, Matt Holliday, Chris Young

Who Will Start: Ubaldo Jimenez (14-1, 2.27 ERA).

Who Should Start: Jimenez, no doubt. He's struggled a bit lately, and Johnson and Gallardo can make compelling cases for the job as well, but no pitcher in baseball has dominated the opposition like Jimenez this year, which is particularly impressive given the park in which he calls home.

Who Will Win the Internet Vote: Ryan Zimmerman (49 R, 14 HR, 44 RBI, .286 BA)

Who Should Win the Internet Vote: Tough choice between Joey Votto (53 R, 19 HR, 57 RBI, .312 BA) and Carlos Gonzalez (49 R, 14 HR, 51 RBI .297 BA), but if pressed, I'd have to pick Votto.

Final Thoughts: For those of you wondering why Strasburg was left off the team, just take a breath. He's made a total of six major league starts, most of which came against inferior opposition. The fans may love to see him pitch, myself included, but this isn't an exhibition anymore. Like it or not, it means something, at least to the handful of teams with a legit shot at making the World Series. He'll be there next year, and barring injury, for many years to come.

I guess I'm also slightly irked that Rhodes was picked over Heath Bell, or any of the Padres' outstanding relievers for that matter, but the biggest problem I have here is that there's absolutely no good reason for Infante to be on this roster considering some of the people who were left off. It's a terrible decision, and I understand the desire to play the N.L. style of small ball because this game counts for home field and all, but you already have guys like Bourn and Chris Young who can come off the bench for speed, and isn't that mostly what you'd want him on the roster for anyway? He doesn't even start for his own team, yet he's an All-Star? You're playing with a D.H. in an A.L. park, don't over think this. I just hope it's worth it for Charlie Manuel to have a utility guy/glorified defensive replacement when his team is down by multiple runs in the late innings.

Prediction: American League - 9, National League - 4

So with the season nearly half-way over, it's time to check on Lee's pre-season predictions... We'll be starting in the NL East, where his anti-Mets bias is as strong as ever!

Here was his prediction:
1. Phillies
2. Braves
3. Marlins
4. Mets
5. Nationals

Here is reality:
1. Braves
2. Mets
3. Phillies
4. Marlins
5. Nationals

Lee picked the Phillies, declaring they have the best lineup and rotation in baseball... 1.  They don't even have the best rotation in their division, and 2. The occasionally have the best lineup - exploding for 8 and 10 runs in a game, but scoring only 1 or 2 in many others!

The big change in the east this year has been the Mets, who finally took Oliver Perez out of the rotation... He is quite possibly the worst pitcher in baseball history, simply removing him from the rotation has made them much stronger.  The emergence of R.A. Dickey as a quality starter and Mike Pelfrey as the dominant pitcher they had been hoping for have made the Mets' rotation the best in the division..

David Wright and Jose Reyes returning to form doesn't hurt either...

Here is my prediction for the NL East -

1. Mets

2. Phillies

3. Braves

4. Marlins

5. Nationals - although they will be on their way up in the coming years...

Positives: Easily the most stacked pitching staff in the division, both starting and coming out of the bullpen, guys who can hit for power (Rivera, Morales, Hunter), guys who can hit for average and steal bases (Aybar and Abreu) and the steady leadership of Mike Scioscia. Don't buy into the Seattle hype, this is still the Angels' division to lose.

Negatives: Tough to find a whole lot here, other than a lot of their key everyday players are advancing in age. That said, the roster should be able to stay healthy enough to run away from the rest of the division.

X-Factor: Will Brandon Wood make an impact in his first full season in the majors? If he doesn't get off to a hot start with the bat, he may not be there very long.

Record Prediction: 92-70

2. Seattle Mariners

Positives: You have to love the Chone Figgins signing, as it not only adds a huge boost to their infield defense and overall OBP, but it directly takes those things away from your biggest rival. As always, they have professional hitting machine Ichiro, and Felix Hernandez, who should be a Cy Young candidate for many years to come. Their defense and small ball will keep them in the race for most of the season.

Negatives: Their starting pitching (and bullpen, for that matter) lacks depth to say the least. And why, why, would any team that hopes to contend bring in Milton Bradley?

X-Factor: David Aardsma had a terrific, if not surprising, season as the team's closer last year, posting 38 saves. The Mariners' defense will keep a lot of games close, so Aardsma's ability to have an encore performance this year will be critical to their success.

Record Prediction: 88-74

3. Texas Rangers

Positives: Their bullpen is solid, and they have a true on-field general in Michael Young. Texas can also boast a few young sluggers, namely Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis, and Josh Hamilton, that can take advantage of the Ballpark at Arlington.

Negatives: Although some of the rotation showed flashes of promise in '09, the only starter with an ERA below 4.00, Kevin Millwood, is gone and has been replaced by the oft-injured Rich Harden. Look for the staff's overall production to take a step back in 2010.

X-Factor: Texas will need Ian Kinsler to return from the D.L. quickly, and not go back too often, to be able to slug their way into wild card contention.

Record Prediction: 81-81

4. Oakland Athletics

Positives: I love what Rajai Davis can do in all facets of the game, it's just a shame that he's almost invisible on such an underwhelming team. They have, however, made some nice upgrades to their roster by bringing in veterans Kevin Kouzmanoff and Gabe Gross.

Negatives: They signed Ben Sheets to be their top starter, in spite of the fact that he didn't pitch in '09, their closer will most likely be unavailable when the season starts, and they just cut last year's team leader in home runs. Nothing about this screams "contender" to me.

X-Factor: Young starters like Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson need to show that they can be centerpieces of the team's rebuilding process.

Record Prediction: 70-92

Positives: While losing Curtis Granderson in the off-season won't be easy to overcome, the additions that they've made to the roster should outweigh the subtractions. Johnny Damon will bring speed on the base paths, be a solid source of on base percentage, and perhaps most importantly, be a leader in the clubhouse. Max Scherzer should nicely compliment Verlander and Porcello as yet another power pitcher in the rotation, and Jose Valverde is certainly an upgrade over Fernando Rodney as the team's closer.

Negatives: Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen will all be counted on as big contributors to the team's success, yet none of them have been consistently productive in recent years. The Tigers will need all of these guys to turn back the clock to their past successes, so to speak, to win this division.

X-Factor: In addition to the group mentioned above, the rate of Austin Jackson's development as Granderson's replacement will go a long way in determining whether or not Detroit can stave off the White Sox and Twins.

Record Prediction: 89-74

2. Chicago White Sox

Positives: Alexi Ramirez and Gordon Beckham are an extremely gifted middle infield combination, especially with the bat. In addition, they have one of the most underrated and underappreciated starting rotations in the American League, especially with Jake Peavy in camp from the beginning. I think that people have largely forgotten just how dominant he was when he was in San Diego, when he was often seen single handedly beating opponents on a light-hitting Padres team. Why can't he be that good in Chicago? 

Negatives: I wasn't a huge fan of the Mark Teahen deal, and having Andruw Jones as their everyday D.H. can't possibly be seen as an ideal situation.

X-Factor: Can a talented, albeit aging and injury-prone outfield trio produce big numbers on the South Side? If so, Ozzie's crew could certainly push Detroit for the division title.

Record Prediction: 88-75

3. Minnesota Twins

Positives: The Twinkies have the best catcher in the game, both offensively and defensively, another former MVP in Justin Morneau, a solid hitting outfield and an up and coming star in the rotation in Scott Baker. This team also has the confidence of knowing that they've made huge comebacks in this division late in the season, so even if they get off to a slow start, they certainly won't panic.

Negatives: Their everyday lineup is definitely above average on both sides of the ball, but their pitching as a whole leaves something to be desired, particularly with the loss of Joe Nathan at closer due to Tommy John surgery. How the "closer by committee" idea works out will be a huge part of Minnesota's success or failure in 2010.

X-Factor: If reports of Francisco Liriano's demise have indeed been greatly exaggerated, then he could provide a huge boost to an otherwise shaky rotation.

Record Prediction: 87-76

4. Kansas City Royals

Positives: K.C. has more talent than you may think, both on offense (DeJesus, Butler, Aviles) and in the pitching staff, where they can boast a true ace in Zach Greinke, and one of the most dependable closers in baseball, Joakim Soria.

Negatives: The Royals will start the season with some very important pieces on the disabled list (Meche, Alex Gordon, and Josh Fields). It could be hard for them to overcome these early injuries, which will most likely make it almost impossible to compete for the division crown.

X-Factor: The ability of Bannister, Hochevar and Davies to compliment Greinke in the rotation and make up for the temporary loss of Gil Meche will go a long way in determining whether or not this team has any chance to stay in it this season.

Record Prediction: 68-94

5. Cleveland Indians

Positives: Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo are both capable of putting up all-star caliber numbers with the lumber, and Michael Brantley has flashed a lot of upside in left field as a rookie this spring. Chris Perez should be a more than adequate fill in for Kerry Wood at closer.

Negatives: Their starting rotation is barely sufficient for a AAA ballclub, Travis Hafner remains a shell of his former self, and something named Lou Marson is allegedly breaking camp as their starting catcher. But hey, enjoy LeBron for a few more months, right?

X-Factor: If Matt LaPorta can take the first base job and run with it, this team just might have a shot at respectability. But probably not.

Record Prediction: 65-97

Positives: The best rotation 1-5 in the A.L., the best hitting first and third basemen in the A.L., and surefire hall of famers at shortstop and closer. If that weren't enough, I like what they've done to upgrade their outfield, both defensively and offensively, by starting Gardner and getting Granderson to replace Damon and Matsui respectively.  How could these guys not be considered the favorites to repeat as division, A.L., and even MLB, champions?

Negatives: It would be nice to see Posada recover quickly from his minor neck injury to contribute, as they're actually down to their third string catcher right now, but I'm sure there's no panic about it in the Bronx.

X-Factor: How will Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes react to what will essentially amount to swapping roles in the rotation/bullpen? Spoiler alert: quite well, thank you. The Yanks should be even better than last year, which is a very scary thought for the rest of this stacked division.

Record Prediction: 105-57

2. Tampa Bay Rays

Positives: Their rotation is young, somewhat inconsistent, but very, very talented, in spite of losing Scott Kazmir last year. Carlos Pena is a great source of power in the middle of the lineup, Longoria should be an all-star for the next decade, because of both his bat and glove, and Ben Zobrist should build off of a stellar season last year, now that he'll essentially be at one spot all year. Their biggest asset, however, is the best athlete in baseball, Carl Crawford, who has developed into the prototype for the "five tool" player. As long as he's playing his home games at the Trop, the Rays will have a chance.

Negatives: Ah, but there's the rub: how much longer will the Rays be able to keep this core in St. Pete? Crawford, Pena, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, B.J. Upton, Dioner Navarro, among others, are all entering contract years, and for the sake of argument, let's say that the Rays get off to a sub-.500 record in April, or something to that effect. How quick would management be to start selling off some of the aforementioned assets to the highest bidders? A promising season could go south very quickly if that were to happen.

X-Factor: B.J. Upton really needs to find the hitting stroke that made him such a big piece of their playoff run in '08. He's looked great this spring by all accounts, but it would be a disaster for this club's chances if we saw a repeat of his 2009 output. It might also help if Pat Burell, the team's designated hitter would, you know, hit the ball where the defense wasn't this year. A novel idea, I know. 

Record Prediction: 96-66

3. Boston Red Sox

Positives: Pedroia and Ellsbury are two of the best at their respective positions, and Boston's made some great moves over the past year by bringing in Victor Martinez and John Lackey, the latter of which should fit in nicely to an already impressive rotation with Beckett and Jon Lester. Marco Scutaro should also do a great job of taking over the shortstop position, and their bullpen should be as solid as ever.

Negatives: As much as I like a lot of their recent moves, it's hard to be overly impressed by Mike Cameron or Adrian Beltre as everyday starters, especially when you consider that they're trying to replace Jason Bay's production. That said, you know this team will fight to the end and push for a wildcard spot, so any positive contribution on the offensive end that they can get from these two will almost be considered a bonus.

X-Factor: Will David Ortiz be able to bounce back from a somewhat subpar season? The power numbers were there at the end, but another season of hitting .238 might not cut it in Beantown.

Record Prediction: 89-73

4. Baltimore Orioles

Positives: Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters (not to mention Nolan Reimold and Luke Scott) make up the best core of young every day talent that this franchise has seen in years. The Kevin Millwood signing should help the rotation not only in what he can bring to the field every five days, but he should also have a positive effect on an otherwise young and promising staff. Mike Gonzalez can't really be depended upon to be a healthy closer all season, but Jim Johnson and/or Cla Meredith would mostly likely be able to fill that void reasonably well in case of injury.

Negatives: Not sure how bringing in Lugo and Tejada will help with the bat, and in this division, it'll be hard to overcome even the smallest of deficiencies.

X-Factor: If Brian Roberts can overcome his offseason back issues and put up similar numbers as last year, you just never know, the Birds might have a chance to compete for the Wild Card.

Record Prediction: 80-82

5. Toronto Blue Jays

Positives: Aaron Hill and Adam Lind have great opportunities to once again put up all-star caliber numbers in 2010. Vernon Wells should provide a solid veteran presence in the lineup, and Ricky Romero has future ace written all over him. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Negatives: Without Halladay, this rotation is unsettled, unproven, and just doesn't have enough to compete with the New Yorks and Bostons of the world this year. The same can be said of the bullpen, and everyone in the lineup not mentioned above. It could definitely be a rough season north of the border.

X-Factor: Travis Snider could be a nice piece for this team. He had a bit of a rough 2009, but he's still very young, and as a former first round pick, obviously has all the talent in the world to be a big part of this roster for many years to come.

Record Prediction: 65-97

Positives: The Dodgers have two stud starting pitchers (Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley), a top tier closer (Broxton), and an impressive trio of young everyday players (Kemp/Ethier/Loney), all under the guidance of arguably the game's best manager. I know that the Rockies are a trendy pick to take this division, and they'll be make it a close race, but they just don't have what it takes to compete with all of the firepower mentioned above. Not in 2010, anyway.

Negatives: Russell Martin's health and lack of productivity in 2009 are a bit of a concern, but really, he's not going to make or break this team this year anymore than he did last year.

X-Factor: Getting Manny circa 2008 would be a huge boost to this lineup. If the three, four and five starters on this team can be even reasonably effective, there's no reason to think that there won't be another division title to celebrate in Hollywood.

Record Prediction: 92-70

2. Colorado Rockies

Positives: I see this team as being "L.A. Light", in that their positives are similar to what the Dodgers can boast, just not quite at that level. They have a nice young core with Tulo, Dexter Fowler and Brad Hawpe, and two talented starters at the top of their rotation (Jimenez and De La Rosa), all of which have strengths that play well to the ballpark. They made the playoffs last year (with a record that better than St. Louis', and just one game worse than the Phillies', mind you), and they have the talent to do it again.

Negatives: Huston Street is hurt (again), which creates a huge void at closer. I don't have much confidence in Franklin Morales or Rafael Betancourt, do you?

X-Factor: Will Colorado get the 2009 Todd Helton (151 GP, 86 RBI, .335 BA) or the 2008 version (83 GP, 29 RBI, .264 BA)? Sidebar here: can you think of a more underrated hitter, at least in the National League, over the past decade than Todd Helton? It really hurts me to give props to a former UT Vol, but he's a career .328 hitter, and can always be depended upon to be a solid source of power and average in the middle of that lineup. I know he plays in Colorado, but it's not Siberia. Give the man his due! Anyway...

Record Prediction: 89-73

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

Positives: Dan Haren is one of the best pitchers in the game, a bona fide losing streak stopper, and don't underestimate the possibility of Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy having solid seasons as well. They also have an athletic, strong hitting outfield (Jackson/Young/Justin Upton), and a pair of talented infielders looking to build off of their respective breakout seasons in '09 (Stephen Drew and Mark Reynolds). Chad Qualls should once again do an admirable job of closing out games in the desert (24 saves in '09).

Negatives: This team will be searching for any sort of help in the fourth and fifth starter spot, and most of the bullpen looks a bit sketchy. Some of their young talent needs to prove that they can stay off the D.L. for an entire season.

X-Factor: Clearly the Snakes' season hinges on when, or unfortunately if, Brandon Webb can return from shoulder surgery. If he should miss the entire season, or is ineffective upon his return, that's going to be a big piece of their postseason puzzle that won't be able to be replaced.

Record Prediction: 82-80

4. San Francisco Giants

Positives: Pitching, Pitching, Pitching. Tim Lincecum is the two-time defending N.L. Cy Young award winner, Matt Cain is coming off of a 2009 that wasn't too shabby either (2.89 ERA, 1.18 WHIP), Jonathan Sanchez was among the league leaders is strikeouts (177), and Barry Zito is no longer a complete waste. Sergio Romo, Jeremy Affeldt, and Brian Wilson are the core of what is arguably the best bullpen in the National League.

Negatives: Hitting, Hitting, Hitting. Same old story in 'Frisco, meaning lots of low scoring losses that will ultimately cost them a chance of competing in the division. Sure, Sandoval is a rising star, but who's their next most fearsome hitter, Aubrey Huff? Let that one sink in for a little while.

X-Factor: If they can get anyone who can swing a bat, via trade or from one of their veterans stepping up, they just might surprise some people.

Record Prediction: 80-82

5. San Diego Padres

Positives: Adrian Gonzalez is a beast, Heath Bell is an all-star caliber closer, and their starting pitching has the possibility of not being entirely terrible, in spite of no longer having Jake Peavy.

Negatives: Name another Padre in the everyday lineup besides Gonzalez. Exactly. Perhaps they could compete in the P.C.L., but the N.L.? No way.

X-Factor: How long until Gonzalez gets shipped to a contender? The longer it takes, the longer he will be distracted; creating what can only be a negative clubhouse situation.

Record Prediction: 68-94