Sunday, February 21, 2016

2016 MLB Predictions!

The football season is over, and while baseball season is still over a month away from officially starting, it's never too early to get started on predictions.  I will rank each division from 1-5, with a short summary of how I think the division will go, plus some award and playoff predictions!  Fun, right?  Let's start in the NL East and move west, saving the AL West (And the Mariners) for last.

* = Wild Card

NL East
1. New York Mets
2. Washington Nationals
3. Miami Marlins
4. Philadelphia Phillies
5. Atlanta Braves
Summary: The NL East has turned into one of the worst divisions in baseball, but if the Nats and Marlins have good seasons it'll help the division overall.  The Mets emerged last season and if they hit well enough there won't be much stopping them.

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs*
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Cincinnati Reds
Summary: Everyone is jumping on the Cubs bandwagon, which means they'll probably underperform.  With the Cardinals in it every year, you can't go wrong picking them to win the division.  The Pirates will have a good season but there will be too much competition for them.

NL West
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers*
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. San Diego Padres
5. Colorado Rockies
Summary: I think the Giants improved the most of any team this offseason.  Their pitching should be dominant.  The Dodgers will be good again but losing Grienke and not finding an adequate replacement will hurt.  The Diamondbacks could surprise and be the Houston Astros of this year, but we'll see. 

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. Toronto Blue Jays*
3. New York Yankees
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Baltimore Orioles
Summary: This division is so hard to predict now with every team being competitive.  Gut feeling: I think it will be a good year for the BoSox.  Yanks and Jays will be in it until the end.  The Orioles are due for a disappointing season, and really did nothing this offseason to improve their team.

AL Central
1. Kansas City Royals
2. Cleveland Indians*
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Detroit Tigers
5. Chicago White Sox
Summary: The Royals are a good team.  We know that for sure now.  The Indians will surprise and play good ball.  The Twins will also be a surprise and just miss out on a playoff spot.  The Tigers and White Sox have disappointing seasons.

AL West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Seattle Mariners
3. Houston Astros
4. Los Angeles Angels
5. Oakland Athletics
Summary: What's this?  The Mariners in 2nd place?  But... they miss the playoffs for the 15th straight season.  Astros will lose some of their magic from last year, and the A's and Angels will be mediocre at best.  The Rangers win the division with improved pitching and one of the best lineups in baseball.

Award Predictions!
AL MVP: Mike Trout (Who else?)
NL MVP: Buster Posey
AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez
NL Cy Young: Matt Harvey
AL Rookie of the Year: Joey Gallo
NL Rookie of the Year: Corey Seager

Playoff Predictions:
NL Wild Card: Cubs over Dodgers
AL Wild Card: Indians over Blue Jays

NL Divisional: Cubs over Mets, Giants over Cardinals
AL Divisional: Royals over Indians, Rangers over Red Sox

NL Championship: Giants over Cubs
AL Championship: Rangers over Royals

World Series: Giants over Rangers

Well, there you have it.  My 2016 MLB Predictions.  It's an even year, so why not predict the Giants to win it? 

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