With baseball just a week away I thought I would give my take on what to look for over the course of another 162 games in Major League Baseball. This season should be a good one, with a plethora of pitching that is still dominating the league, a bunch of young stars on the rise, and some big bats that are still cranking it out of the park.
National League East
- Mets 93-69
- Nationals 88-74
- Marlins 78-84
- Phillies 68-94
- Braves 62-100
The New York Mets are coming of a World Series appearance in which they lost to the Kansas City Royals in five games. The Mets are hungry and are looking to get back to the WS in 2016. With a rotation that consists of Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz, Colon (and Zach Wheeler returning in June) this rotation is arguably the best in baseball. Re-signing Yoenis Cespedes was a blessing, so the offense should be fine throughout the year (fingers crossed). The Nationals are a good team that underperformed last season. Their rotation is very solid, and so is the offense that includes MVP Bryce Harper. They’ll be contending all season. Now the Marlins are always an interesting team. They look to be in it going into the season and ultimately never look good. But with Jose Fernandez at the top of the rotation, and the addition of Wei-Yin Chen and a healthy Giancarlo Stanton and Dee Gordon, they always can make some noise. The bottom of the division has the Phillies and Braves. Both teams are in full rebuild mode and have added some young pieces. Each team acquired former #1 overall picks. Don't expect them to do too much.
National League Central
- Cubs 102-60
- Cardinals 92-70
- Pirates 86-76
- Brewers 74-88
- Reds 67-95
The Chicago Cubs are the most complete team in baseball. Their rotation has the current Cy Young award winner in Jake Arrieta and added John Lackey as well as already having Jon Lester. Their offense is top notch. With a lineup that already featured Dexter Fowler, Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs made the biggest acquisition of the offseason in signing Jason Heyward. I see the Cardinals grabbing a wild card spot and making the playoffs. Although they lost John Lackey and Jason Heyward to the Cubs, they have some good pieces to keep a 90 win team together. The Pirates still have an MVP candidate in Andrew McCutchen and a stud at the top of the rotation in Gerrit Cole; they’ll still be good but I’m not sure about the playoffs this year. The Brew Crew and the Reds are both at the bottom and it doesn't look like they will contend this season.
National League West
- Giants 89-73
- Dodgers 86-76
- D-Backs 84-78
- Padres 74-88
- Rockies 68-94
The NL West is a very interesting division this upcoming season. It’s an even year and we all know what the Giants do during even seasons not to mention they added an ace in Johnny Cueto to go along with Madison Bumgarner. The Dodgers did lose Zack Grienke to the D-backs but Clayton Kershaw is still the best pitcher on the planet and they have a strong lineup led by a rookie of the year candidate in Corey Seager. The D-backs are going for it this year, making Grienke the highest paid pitcher ever in terms of annual salary. They also traded a ton for Shelby Miller. Arizona has the best first baseman in baseball in Paul Goldschmidt and is my pick to win the MVP in the National League. The Padres and Rockies don't look like factors this year. Both teams traded away their better talent and look to be rebuilding. I think that this division will be the closest with the Giants, Dodgers, and D-backs fighting for the division. I could definitely see a wild card team out of this division as well.
American League East
- Blue Jays 92-70
- Yankees 87-75
- Red Sox 86-76
- Orioles 82-80
- Rays 80-82
Say what you want about the AL East but I think this year this division will be back as the best division in baseball top to bottom. I think we’ll see each team winning at least 80 games. The Blue Jays still have a powerhouse offense with Josh Donaldson (AL MVP), Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion. David Price was a rental last year so Marcus Stroman is the ace of the staff, I foresee him having a big season and possibly vying for the Cy Young. The Yanks are getting old but their bullpen is stellar and could closeout games by the seventh inning. If the starting pitching can hold up, the Yankees could finish in second. The Red Sox are the most hyped team in this division because of the acquisition of David Price. Most prognosticators have them as the favorites, but I don’t see it. They can’t be expected to win over 90 games with Price as the rotation’s only known quantity. The offense is still good with youngsters Mookie Betts and Xander Bogarts. This season is also Big Papi’s last, so he definitely wants to go out with a bang. The Orioles and Rays are very similar teams, they have good rosters but don’t have a lot of star power. Yes, the O’s have Adam Jones and Chris Davis but their pitching seems thin, just like the Rays. I expect this division to be a dog fight and I wouldn't be surprised if only seven or eight games separated the first and last place team.
American League Central
- Royals 90-72
- Indians 86-76
- Tigers 82-80
- White Sox 78-84
- Twins 76-86
This division has the defending world champions in the Royals. I do expect them to repeat as the division winners, but it won’t come as easy as last season. The Tigers are way better as are the Indians. The Tigers added some offense in Justin Upton and the Indians have the most underrated rotation in the league with Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco all who struck out over 200 batters last season -- pretty impressive. The White Sox added some pieces with trading for Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie. I don’t see these moves making that much of an impact and ultimately the Sox will reside at the bottom of this division again. The Twins have young guns in Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton but those bats aren't going to be enough to do anything.
American League West
- Astros 94-68
- Rangers 90-72
- Angels 84-78
- Mariners 82-80
- Athletics 65-97
After a surprising season which had the Texas Rangers taking the division I see a different team taking the crown as AL West Champions. The Houston Astros are very impressive as the young stars on this team, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer can carry them to the World Series. Additionally, Dallas Keuchel, the reigning Cy Young winner, is coming off a dominant season where he didn't lose at home. I see the Rangers staying in competition for the division and a possible wild card spot. The Angels can never seem to get it together and are wasting Mike Trout’s best years; they need to get pitching if they want a bid for the playoffs. The Mariners are another question mark. Felix Hernandez is arguably the best pitcher in the American League and they have Robinson Cano who needs to step up. The A’s aren't competing this season Moneyball? And will be the worst team in the American League.
