The best prediction of 2008 was PECOTA's offering that the Devil Rays would win 90 games.  I thought it was crazy and I was way off picking them to win just 75.  Let's look at PECOTA and see how they did on the rest of the AL.

Outside of the amazing selection of the Rays winning 90, it hasn't been such a good year for the prediction system.  The Yankees win 96 and win the East by 5 games.  It is hard to fault anyone for going with the Indians to win the Central, but the notion that the Tigers would win 90 games with that bullpen never made any sense to me.  The statistical system still is having a hard time measuring how the Angels can already have won 94 games with 9 left to play. 

My SWOBODA system had these records before the season. 

AL EAST

Boston 92
NY Yankees 89
Toronto 85
Tampa Bay 75
Baltimore 67

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland 92
Detroit 84
Chicago 83
Minnesota 78
Kansas City 75

AL WEST

Los Angeles 89
Oakland 78
Seattle 78
Texas 75

If you look at the overall numbers for each team, there is not much difference in the systems.  Once again, Nate Silver put his neck out there with his Rays number and his system should be congratulated.  Let's just have some perspective on the bigger picture. 

Oh and for all of you that slammed me for being too optimistic about the White Sox and too pessimistic about the Tigers, I apologize for not being more in the extreme on both of them. 

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