2020 MLB Standings Prediction

This baseball season is going to be interesting. I like these predictions but I could be completely wrong. Even a bad team can have a good two week stretch and in a 60 game season that can make all the difference. Also if a team has a COVID outbreak and a few key players miss time, that will have a major impact. So who knows? Anyway, here we go.

NL Central

St. Louis Cardinals

Cincinnati Reds

Milwaukee Brewers

Chicago Cubs

Pittsburgh Pirates 

The Cardinals won the division last year and have some of the best depth in the league, which will be crucial this year. The Reds made a lot of improvements in the offseason and I think they are poised to make a jump. Conversely, the Brewers lost a few pieces and I see them taking a step back. The Cubs have some high end talent but a lack of depth which I think catches up to them this year. And the Pirates are also in this division.

NL East

Atlanta Braves 

Philadelphia Phillies

Washington Nationals-WC*

New York Mets

Miami Marlins

The Braves have a very talented, young roster and should be able to win the division again. The Phillies have added a lot of talent the past couple years and should be very good this year. The Nationals have an elite rotation and some very good players in the lineups but also a few question marks. I see them being neck and neck with the Phillies but could easily do better than that. It all depends on how much their rotation carries them. The Mets have some very talented players, including the best pitcher in baseball. The could be a problem but I don’t see them quite at the level of the teams ahead of them. The Marlins are accumulating some good, young talent but they aren’t there yet.

NL West 

Los Angeles Dodgers

Arizona Diamondbacks

San Diego Padres-WC*

Colorado Rockies

San Francisco Giants

The Dodgers have the best roster in the league and should win the division easily. Granted they do sometimes get off to a slow start so maybe that is a factor but I doubt it. The Diamondbacks have a very solid team. Bumgarner acing the staff now could be big. The Padres have been building up their roster the past few years and I see them making a jump this year challenging for 2nd place with the Diamondbacks. The Rockies and Giants are both needing to rebuild. Colorado has a little more high end talent putting them a little ahead of San Fran.

AL Central

Minnesota Twins

Cleveland Indians

Chicago White Sox-WC*

Kansas City Royals

Detroit Tigers

Minnesota has the most powerful lineup in the league and a couple pretty solid, could-be-great starters. I see it as their division to lose. The Indians have a few Cy Young caliber pitchers in the rotation but their lineup has lost a few pieces the past couple years and they have the looming question of when they trade Lindor. The White Sox are loaded with young talent and added a couple really good players in the offseason. I wouldn’t be surprised if they won the division but it comes down to how quickly their young talent has developed. Last year they were a distant 3rd. Conservatively I see them closing that gap and being neck and neck with Cleveland. The Royals have a couple very talented players but are still in the midst of a rebuild. It will be interesting to see how Mike Matheny manages a young, rebuilding team for a change. And the Tigers are bad.

AL East

Tampa Bay Rays

New York Yankees

Toronto Blue Jays

Boston Red Sox

Baltimore Orioles

The Rays have a very solid overall team with a lot of depth. Obviously I could see the Yankees winning the division but I think this could be one of the things in sports that doesn’t play out quite like it should. The Blue Jays are similar to the White Sox in that they are full of young talent and I think it starts to come together this year. But the top of this division is higher caliber than the Central and will be more difficult to crack. The Red Sox were average last year, then traded away Mookie Betts and David Price, as well as losing ace Chris Sale to Tommy John surgery. It’s going to be a disappointing season for them. And the Orioles are bad.

AL West

Oakland Athletics 

Houston Astros

Los Angeles Angels-WC*

Texas Rangers

Seattle Mariners

This division is the toughest to figure out. I could see any of the top 4 teams winning in a shortened season. The Astros have been perennial front runners but like the Rays, I just see the Athletics pulling it out. The Angels have a very deep, talented lineup but their rotation is a little lackluster. New manager Joe Maddon has historically done a good job of getting the best out of his teams so they could make a run at it. The Rangers were better than expected last year and if newly acquired Corey Kluber can pitch like his old self, they could be surprising as well. Finally, I’m not sure how bad the Mariners really are but in a season playing the two west divisions, I don’t see it going well for them.

Ultimately, I’ll go with the Braves over the Yankees in the World Series.

*Update. After I posted this, MLB announced expanded playoffs. It will be the top 2 teams in each division and then the next two best records in each league. My predictions have been updated to reflect this, with WC designating the last two teams in each league.

Well there we have it. This season could be a crap shoot but I’m just happy to have baseball back. Let me know what you think!