| AL EAST | |
|---|---|
| Team | Record |
| Boston Red Sox | 93-69 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 92-70 |
| New York Yankees | 84-78 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 79-83 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 77-85 |
The loss of Ellsbury will hurt the Red Sox, but I think they have more than enough to challenge for the East title once again. Honestly, this is the hardest decision to predict, because any of the five teams could win 90 games if they put it together, so I've hedged my bets a bit. The Rays never seem to do as well as expected, and the Yankees seem to win despite their old age, so it wouldn't surprise me if they win 90 instead. I would be surprised if any of these teams get close to 100 wins.
| AL CENTRAL | |
|---|---|
| Team | Record |
| Detroit Tigers | 97-65 |
| Kansas City Royals | 88-74 |
| Cleveland Indians | 86-76 |
| Chicago White Sox | 76-86 |
| Minnesota Twins | 67-95 |
The Tigers are the team to beat after swapping Fielder for Kinsler and making room for top prospect Nick Castellanos at the hot corner. I think Porcello is in for a breakout season, and wouldn't be surprised if Verlander gets back to Cy form. The Royals are a trendy sleeper pick, and whilst I see room for improvement, I don't think that rotation is strong enough to win the Central yet. I want the Indians to do well, but I just don't see how they can do it unless the line-up clicks. The White Sox and Twins will have fun battling for last place.
| AL WEST | |
|---|---|
| Team | Record |
| Oakland Athletics | 95-67 |
| Los Angeles Angels | 90-72 |
| Texas Rangers | 83-81 |
| Seattle Mariners | 77-85 |
| Houston Astros | 61-101 |
I'm all-in on the Athletics this year, quite how they do it I'm not sure, but they put themselves in the hunt every season. I think the Rangers are going to be disappointing this year, just don't like their rotation at all beyond Cy favourite Yu Darvish, and he is struggling with injury to start the season. The Angels have to improve, they just have to, and the Mariners aren't going to be as bad as people think. Can the Astros avoid 100 losses?
| NL EAST | |
|---|---|
| Team | Record |
| Washington Nationals | 97-65 |
| Atlanta Braves | 89-73 |
| New York Mets | 81-81 |
| Miami Marlins | 73-89 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 70-92 |
I'm back on the Nationals band-wagon. Harper is primed for a huge season, and if they can stay healthy few teams can match Washington's all-round strength. The Braves rotation is a mess, but they still have a star-studded line-up and can beat up on the easy competition in this division. The Mets are one season away from being competitive, and might turn a few heads with a hot start. The Marlins and Phillies are only worth watching when Jose Fernandez and Cliff Lee are on the mound respectively.
| NL CENTRAL | |
|---|---|
| Team | Record |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 99-63 |
| Cincinatti Reds | 92-70 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 86-76 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 78-84 |
| Chicago Cubs | 66-96 |
The Cardinals just have so much depth, and so many good young arms that they're the best bet for 100 wins in the Majors this season. An incredible powerhouse of a franchise. The Reds lost Choo, but still have an underrated rotation and a strong enough line-up that they'll be there or thereabouts come September. Plus no more Dusty! Last season wasn't a complete fluke for the Pirates, but I don't see them winning 94 again. The Brewers and Cubs will both be bad, but at least the future is bright for Cubs fans - I'm really excited to see Baez hit the Majors.
| NL WEST | |
|---|---|
| Team | Record |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 96-66 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 85-77 |
| San Francisco Giants | 80-82 |
| San Diego Padres | 75-87 |
| Colorado Rockies | 68-94 |
Probably the weakest division in baseball, and if they can avoid another sluggish start, the Dodgers should coast to the title. The D-Backs always look like a team that should crack .500, but you don't expect much more, maybe Archie Bradley's promotion can push them over the edge. The Giants just aren't very good any more, but the Padres and Rockies are just worse.
ALCS: Tigers over Rays in 6
NLCS: Cardinals over Nationals in 7
WORLD SERIES: Cardinals over Tigers in 5
Awards
AL MVP: Mike Trout
NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander
NL Cy Young: Jose Fernandez
AL ROTY: Xander Bogaerts
NL ROTY: Travis D'Arnaud
Wacky prediction: George Springer comes up on June 1st, goes 20/20 the rest of the season and then gets wildly overhyped heading into 2015 (see Puig, Yasiel)
Dead cert: It's going to be another mental 162 game season. Enjoy it!
No comments:
Post a Comment