A couple of years ago I used my copy of MLB 10 The Show to predict the 2010 baseball season. You’re not going to believe this, but it got a lot of things wrong. Wacky All-Star selections, division champions, and award winners made for an odd read, in hindsight. Damned computers!

I decided to give it another go this year — I didn’t buy the game last year, so there — and the 2012 edition of Sony’s critically-acclaimed Major League Baseball sim seems a bit more grounded in reality than its 2010 counterpart. Not by much, mind you, but still.

Baseball is right around the corner, folks, so place your bets. Surely this year’s predictions are infallible!

2012 All-Star Starters

National League
Starting Pitcher: Cliff Lee
Catcher: Rod Barajas
1st Base: Joey Votto
2nd Base: Jose Reyes
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki
3rd Base: Ryan Zimmerman
Left Field: Ryan Braun
Center Field: Matt Kemp
Right Field: Hunter Pence
Designated Hitter: Andre Ethier

American League
Starting Pitcher: Michael Pineda
Catcher: Joe Mauer
1st Base: Prince Fielder
2nd Base: Dustin Pedroia
Shortstop: Erick Aybar
3rd Base: Miguel Cabrera
Left Field: Curtis Granderson
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury
Right Field: Ichiro Suzuki
Designated Hitter: Robinson Cano

National League wins 6-5

Besides Rod Barajas inexplicably being anywhere near the All-Star festivities, the National League lineup looks pretty good. With Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder jumping to the American League over the offseason, 2010 NL MVP Joey Votto finally has the spotlight all to himself at 1st base. Hunter Pence and Andre Ethier might be a bit of a stretch, but whatever.

On the AL side of things, it’s hard to imagine anyone else starting at shortstop over Derek Jeter so long as he’s not retired. Meanwhile, Prince Fielder immediately takes over 1st base in his first year in a new league on his way to a monster 2012 campaign — more on that soon.

Finally…Michael Pineda? Oh, video games.

Year-End Awards

NL MVP: Troy Tulowitzki – .307 AVG, 45 HR, 136 RBI, .612 SLG, .993 OPS
AL MVP: Prince Fielder – .317 AVG, 52 HR, 153 RBI, .609 SLG, 1.023 OPS

NL Cy Young: Zack Greinke – 17-6, 2.01 ERA, 240 K, 73 BB, 1.07 WHIP
AL Cy Young: Phil Hughes – 20-2, 3.94 ERA, 162 K, 70 BB, 1.37 WHIP

NL Rookie of the Year: Lance Lynn – 6-7, 3.35 ERA, 186 K, 63 BB, 1.32 WHIP
AL Rookie of the Year: Jesus Montero – .261 AVG, 19 HR, 67 RBI, .426 SLG

Wow! Both Troy Tulowitzki and Prince Fielder take MVP honors in the NL and AL, respectively, posting some insane numbers along the way. Given each player’s talents, though, it’s hardly surprising.

As for the Cy Young, Zack Greinke is certainly capable of those kinds of numbers, but he’ll have some stiff competition in a stacked National League. In the American League, Phil Hughes is your AL winner. That one’s a bit shaky; while Hughes has showed flashes of brilliance in the past, he’s never sustained it for long enough to really be Cy Young material.

Playoff Picture

NL West Champions: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Central Champions: Cincinnati Reds
NL East Champions: Philadelphia Phillies
NL Wild Card: San Francisco Giants

AL West Champions: Texas Rangers
AL Central Champions: Detroit Tigers
AL East Champions: New York Yankees
AL Wild Card: Boston Red Sox

Division Series
Phillies defeat Giants (3-0)
Diamondbacks defeat Reds (3-0)
Yankees defeat Tigers (3-0)
Red Sox defeat Rangers (3-1)

Championship Series
Phillies defeat Diamondbacks (4-0)
Red Sox defeat Yankees (4-3)

World Series
Red Sox defeat Phillies (4-0)

It’s worth noting that MLB 12 inexplicably doesn’t incorporate the new 10-team playoff system that will be implemented this season, instead using the old format with just one wild card team per league. Whatever you think of the new playoff system, this is a serious oversight for a franchise touted for its realism.

Other than that…what a boring postseason! Five out of the seven playoff series were sweeps, and only 4 games over the bare minimum were played. The only drama came from an the inevitable Yankees-Red Sox ALCS. Blegh.

So that’s the 2012 season all sorted. What do you predict for this season in America’s Pastime? Let us know below!