The Major League Baseball season gets going on March 29th. Marc Calnan, Chris Lessner, Anthony DelMonaco, and Jeff Hoak will give you their predictions below.
American League East:
The crew expects the Red Sox and Yankees to be at the top of the division. Both teams grabbed a big slugger in the offseason. Giancarlo Stanton signed with the Yankees while JD Martinez signed with the Red Sox. The majority of the crew expect the Red Sox to claim the division behind strong starting pitching. The Blue Jays could be a surprise team. The Orioles added Alex Cobb and hope to compete for a wildcard spot. They could be sellers at the trade deadline. The Rays without Evan Longeria will look different. They will have pitching to be in plenty of games but lack of offense will be a downfall.
- Red Sox– Marc, Jeff, Anthony
- Yankees– Chris
- Wildcard– Red Sox– Chris: Yankees– Marc, Anthony, Jeff
American League Central:
The Indians won the division by 17 games last season. Marc and Jeff think the Twins can overtake the division despite the Tribe returning a strong rotation. The Twins made some good late additions in the offseason. The White Sox are in the second year of their rebuilding process. Chris believes the White Sox can make a big jump and grab a wildcard spot. The Tigers and Royals have some talent but look like long shots to compete with the big boys in the division.
- Indians– Chris, Anthony
- Twins– Marc, Jeff
- Wildcard– Indians– Marc, Jeff: Twins– Anthony: White Sox: Chris
American League West:
The defending world champions are the unanimous selection. The Astros have everyone back and they added Gerrit Cole. They could win the division going away as long as they avoid the common championship hangover. The Angels, Rangers, and Mariners hope to compete for a wildcard spot. The A’s are expected to be at the bottom of the division. The crew doesn’t have a wildcard coming from the AL West.
- Astros – Marc, Jeff, Anthony, Chris
National League East:
The Nationals are the clear favorite here. With Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy hitting free agency after the 2018 season, this could be their last big opportunity for some time. The Mets need to stay healthy and that has been said many times in the past few years. If they do, a big improvement could be there. The Phillies added Jake Arieta and could contend for a wildcard spot. The Braves hope to improve while the Marlins gave up five months ago.
- Nationals– Marc, Jeff, Chris, Anthony
- Wildcard– Phillies– Jeff: Mets– Marc
National League Central:
This could come down to late September. We have a split between the Cubs and Brewers as division winners. The Cubs are an unanimous choice to make the playoffs. It could be a three team race between the Cubs, Brewers, and Cardinals. The top three should be able to pile up wins against the Pirates and Reds.
- Cubs– Marc, Chris
- Brewers– Anthony, Jeff
- Wildcard– Cubs– Jeff, Anthony: Brewers– Marc: Cardinals– Chris
National League West:
The Central is a three team race, while the NL West could be a four team race. The Dodgers are the favorite but not as clear cut as recent years. The Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Giants have the potential to claim the division. The teams beating up on each other could hurt the chance of a wildcard coming from the west.
- Dodgers– Marc, Chris
- Diamondbacks– Jeff, Anthony
- Wildcard– Dodgers– Anthony: Diamondbacks– Chris
ALCS:
- Marc – Red Sox over Astros
- Chris- Indians over Astros
- Jeff- Red Sox over Yankees
- Anthony- Astros over Red Sox
NLCS
- Marc- Nationals over Dodgers
- Chris- Cubs over Dodgers
- Jeff- Diamondbacks over Nationals
- Anthony- Brewers over Nationals
World Series
- Marc- Red Sox over Nationals
- Chris- Indians over Cubs
- Jeff- Red Sox over Diamondbacks
- Anthony- Astros over Brewers
Awards
AL MVP
- Marc – Trout (Angels)
- Chris- Trout (Angels)
- Jeff- Betts (Red Sox)
- Anthony – Martinez (Red Sox)
NL MVP
- Marc- Harper (Nationals)
- Chris- Harper (Nationals)
- Jeff- Harper (Nationals)
- Anthony- Harper (Nationals)
AL Cy Young
- Marc- Price (Red Sox)
- Chris- Sale (Red Sox)
- Jeff- Price (Red Sox)
- Anthony- Sale (Red Sox)
NL Cy Young
- Marc- Martinez (Cardinals)
- Chris- Kershaw (Dodgers)
- Jeff- Arieta (Phillies)
- Anthony- Arieta (Phillies)
AL Manager of the year
- Marc- Moliter (Twins)
- Chris- Renteria (White Sox)
- Jeff- Cora (Red Sox)
- Anthony- Moliter (Twins)
NL Manager of the year
- Marc- Callaway (Mets)
- Chris- Lovullo (Diamondbacks)
- Jeff – Kapler (Phillies)
- Anthony – Lovullo (Diamondbacks)
