It’s that time of year! The baseball season starts next week, so let’s do some predictions. To start it off, we’ll go through the standings.
NL Central
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Milwaukee Brewers-WC
- Cincinnati Reds
- Chicago Cubs
- Pittsburgh Pirates
With the acquisition of Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals are the favorite to win this division. With him and a full season of Dylan Carlson, this lineup is a lot deeper. They have some injuries in the rotation but they have a lot of pitching depth to hopefully make up for it.
The Brewers and Reds both have solid lineups, I just don’t know if they will have the pitching depth this season. The Cubs still have a good lineup but their pitching overall isn’t wonderful and I wouldn’t be surprised if they are sellers at the trade deadline. And the Pirates are just bad.
NL East
- Atlanta Braves
- Washington Nationals
- Philadelphia Phillies
- New York Mets
- Miami Marlins
I think this is still the Braves division to lose. They have some great hitters and good pitchers (depth may get a little tested but I think they pull through). 2-4 in this division feels like a toss up to me. I could see it turn out in any order depending on how different things go. The Nationals still have an amazing 1-3 in their rotation which I think will carry them. The Phillies have some great hitter but their rotation is weaker. The Mets improved this offseason but I feel like they might still be a tick behind. The Marlins made the playoffs last year with a lot of replacement players because of course 2020 was bizarre. I don’t think they can sustain that for a full 162 and will be back in the basement.
NL West
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres-WC
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- San Francisco Giants
- Colorado Rockies
The Dodgers have the best roster in baseball. They could have a former Cy Young winner coming out of the bullpen. They will win the division. The Padres made they’re young talented team even better this offseason and they’re going to try to dethrone LA. I just don’t think they can. The Diamondbacks have some good young pitching behind Bumgarner, some good young hitters and should have a solid year. The bottom of this division could be pretty ugly. The Rockies have 2 good hitters left and some pitchers who could be toss ups. The Giants still have a past-their-prime offensive core minus Mike Yastrzemski and 1 good starting pitcher.
AL Central
- Chicago White Sox
- Minnesota Twins-WC
- Cleveland Indians
- Kansas City Royals
- Detroit Tigers
I think this is the year the White Sox take the next step and win the division. They have a very good, young team and it will be interesting to see how Tony LaRussa does back managing again. Minnesota still have a very good team and is going to give them a tough run for their money. The Indians still have a solid rotation including the reigning Cy Young winner but only a couple good hitters. The Royals have a surprisingly good lineup but a lackluster rotation. I think the Indians pitching wins out but wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Royals pass them up. The Tigers have a few good, young players but the rebuild is still going on.
AL East
- New York Yankees
- Toronto Blue Jays-WC
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Baltimore Orioles
- Boston Red Sox
This division is going to be a dog fight. I could see the Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays all winning. Yankees lineup is great, rotation has some questions, other than Gerrit Cole whose only question is “Will he win the Cy Young?”. Can Corey Kluber return to form? Cy Young winner but only 8 starts the last 2 years. Can Jameson Taillon pitch the same under the big lights? Blue Jays lineup has lots of young talent and some great new veterans. Their rotation has questions too. Can Hyun-Jin Ryu be an ace? Can Robbie Ray get back on track? The Rays won the pennant last year and I have them in 3rd. I don’t like that. They have always been a “while is greater than sum of their parts” team. Their lineup has solid hitters all throughout. But their rotation has questions as well. Can Tyler Glasnow be an ace? Does Rich Hill still have it at 41? At least Kevin Cash can’t pull Blake Snell too early this year. The Orioles and Red Sox aren’t even close to these teams. Both rotations are lack luster. The Orioles have a few more decent hitters. Rebuilds.
AL West
- Oakland Athletics
- Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- Seattle Mariners
- Texas Rangers
Oakland is similar to the Rays where their whole is greater then the sum of their parts. They have a couple great hitters, a few good ones and a rotation of good young pitchers and guys who have been good at times and need to be good again. The Astros roster is mostly the same minus Justin Verlander out for the year and George Springer now in Toronto. They are good team that could make a run for it but I see them falling short. The Angels are the same as they always are. A good lineup and a lack luster rotation. They will waste another year of Mike Trout’s career. The Mariners have a few good, young pitchers but lineup is very young and unproven. And the Rangers have Joey Gallo.
World Series: Dodgers over White Sox
