So, I'm a bit late, but here are my predictions for this MLB season. No records this time, just their division ranking and whether or not I think they'll make the playoffs, which will be indicated in bold. Also their current records in no way affected my decisions.
AL East:
1st: Tampa Bay Rays
2nd: Boston Red Sox
3rd: Toronto Blue Jays
4th: New York Yankees
5th: Baltimore Orioles
On the Blue Jays, baseball is a team sport, and a largely mental sport. Which means success is often a combination of the manager's abilities AND the player's abilities. As such, the Jays don't really have the manager to keep that team together, not to mention that R.A. Dickey has had ONE GOOD SEASON. Why pay someone that much for one good season?
AL Central:
1st: Detroit Tigers
2nd: Cleveland Indians
3rd: Chicago White Sox
4th: Kansas City Royals
5th: Minnesota Twins
I will make one record prediction: The Tigers will win 100 games. They have one of the best starting rotations, and the best 3-4-5 in the game. The Indians I think will make a late push for the playoffs but eventually fall short because of the...(continued in the next post-division prediction soap box paragraph)
AL West:
1st: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2nd: Oakland Athletics
3rd: Texas Rangers
4th: Seattle Mariners
5th: Houston Astros
Oakland Athletics! That's right, despite my terrible postseason predictions last year, I am still riding this train! Come on Oakland! The only reason I am not predicting them to be number one is because them Angels, man what a lineup. Don't think their rotation can carry them through the playoffs however.
NL East:
1st: Atlanta Braves
2nd: Washington Nationals
3rd: Philadelphia Phillies
4th: New York Mets
5th: Miami Marlins
For the record, I think this one will be close, however I think Jayson Werth isn't as good as he was last year. For that reason I think the Nationals will fall behind just enough for the Upton-powered Braves to take the Division title. Also, R.A. Dickey is WAY overpaid.
NL Central:
1st: Cincinnati Reds
2nd: St. Louis Cardinals
3rd: Pittsburgh Pirates
4th: Chicago Cubs
5th: Milwaukee Brewers
The Cardinals will be close, cause they always will be. I mean, they're the Yankees of the National League and could probably beat a few of the AL playoff teams. However, the National League is far more difficult than the American League, and for the last few years the Cards have waited till the last month to get hot, and I think that'll cost them this year. So, after that run-on, the Cards will just miss it, and the Reds are more consistent and better this year, 'The NEW Big Red Machine'.
NL West:
1st: Los Angeles Dodgers
2nd: San Francisco Giants
3rd: Arizona Diamondbacks
4th: Colorado Rockies
5th: San Diego Padres
This prediction banks on Zack Greinke not being terrible on a big market team, but I think LA is just big enough for him to shine without any of the drama. In LA they have the Angels to split a lot of the baseball attention, and even then it's only a fraction of the attention that basketball gets in the town. San Francisco has too good of a rotation and too good of a manager not to make the playoffs in my opinion. The rest of the field is pretty mediocre here.
The Playoffs:
AL Championship: Tampa Bays Rays at Detroit Tigers
NL Championship: Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers
Here is a case of the veteran teams making the World Series. The Nationals are good, but this would be there first rodeo, and I think that can shake a lot of players, that concerns me with Strasburg being their best pitcher. With the Tigers, I think that extra bat of Victor Martinez is going to give them the push they need to make it past the Rays, but expect that to go to seven games, easy.
World Series: Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Dodgers
That extra bat I think is what carries them past the Dodgers for the World Series. I think this would be an amazing series, and as a rule I usually don't pick the American League, but I think Verlander and Cabrera are too good to not win a World Series, and this is the time for them to do it.
Did I mention R.A. Dickey is overpaid?
