If you have been following along with my team previews, you will have noticed I have included my prediction for each team, but only where they finish in the division. As we enter the regular season tomorrow, there may be slight changes to those predictions and I’ll reflect those here in my official prediction article. I will be predicting the division winners, the wild card teams, the results of each round, and give you a World Series champion. I will then predict the awards for the season. Without further ado, here are my predictions.
AL East
This is the Yankees division to lose. On paper, they are the best team. Their lineup is stacked, they have a solid rotation and bullpen. Health is their biggest issue. The Blue Jays made a flurry of moves, but I think they’re light on pitching. The Rays made some interesting changes, but should still be in the mix. Even with the health issues, I’m still picking the Yankees to win.
AL Central
This has been one of the hardest ones for me to predict. Initially, I was planning to go with the White Sox, but Eloy Jimenez tore his pectoral muscle and is out 5-6 months. That’s a huge blow to their offense. Andrew Vaughn could pick up some of that slack. This could be the Twins best chance to take advantage. This seems to be their deepest team, they’re starting to bring in some of the young prospects. Indians could be in the mix, but it would be because of their pitching. Although JImenez is out, I’m still going with the White Sox.
AL West
To me, this is a 3 team race between the A’s, Angels, & Astros. The A’s have been one of the most consistent teams in recent years. The Angels made some good moves to put them in contention, plus Ohtani should be able to hit and pitch this year successfully, and the Astros will likely bounce back. I think the A’s are just good enough to squeak past the Angels and Astros. This will be a fun division to watch late in the season.
AL Wild Cards
There are a handful of teams that will be competing for the 2 wild card spots: Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Twins, and Rays. Each has a real chance and I wouldn’t be surprised if any combination of these teams make it. I want to pick the Rays, but I think they take a step back slightly this year, even with the call-up of Wander Franco. I may regret not picking them. I’m going with the Angels & Blue Jays
NL East
This division is loaded. Top to bottom. I could see any of the 5 teams making the playoffs. Marlins could lead with their pitching, Phillies will have to be carried by their offense, Mets have a new look and championship aspirations, the Nats were the 2019 champions, Braves were in the NLCS last year. I think the Braves win the division by 5 games. I think they’re that much better.Â
NL Central
For most of the winter, it didn’t look like anyone wanted to win the division. Then all of a sudden, the Brewers, Cardinals, and Cubs all made moves around the same time. Brewers have a shot because of their two headed monster at the top of their rotation, the Cardinals bolstered their offense by adding Nolan Arenado, and the Cubs still have their core four. Pitching depth may be a slight issue, but I still think the Cardinals win the division. I will say, the Brewers will be the Cardinals biggest competition for the title, but finish 2 games short.Â
NL West
It’s the Dodgers or Padres. That’s it. They are both light years ahead of the rest of the division. Both could be argued to have the best rotation, best bullpen, and best offense. However, I think the Dodgers and last year’s postseason run gives them the slight edge.
NL Wild Cards
The Padres are one of my picks. They and the Dodgers are the two best teams in the NL. That’s the easy pick. Then the tough pick. I could see all 4 non-division winning East teams be in the fight along with the Brewers. The sexy pick has been the Mets, but I’m going with the Brewers. I think both Woodruff and Burnes (potential sneak peek?) finish top 3-5 in the NL Cy Young.
AL Playoffs
Here’s how I seed them:
- Yankees
- A’s
- White Sox
- Blue Jays
- Angels
AL Wild Card
The Jays host the Angels, and it could be in Dunedin, although I expect the Jays to be back in Toronto later in the season. Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. both hit home runs to lead the Blue Jays to a 5-2 win over the Angels.Â
ALDS
Fresh off their Wild Card win, the Jays head to the Bronx only to get swept, although it’ll be closer than it looks. The Yankees Gerrit Cole strikes out 12, Jameson Taillon starts game 2 and pitches deep in a low scoring game, then Domingo German beats out Hyun-jin Ryu in a battle in Toronto.Yankees advance 3-0.
The A’s host a playoff game for the 3rd straight season. The White Sox made a late season push for the 2nd seed with the return of Eloy Jimenez. This is a great matchup as it heads to 5 games. Aces Jesus Luzardo & Lucas Giolito both go deep in the game in a pitching duel prior to the White Sox 2-1 win over the A’s to move on. White Sox advance 3-2
ALCS
This will be a dog fight between the battle of the pinstripes. Both have an elite offense. The Yankees have the slight advantage with the rotation by allowing Gerrit Cole to start Game 1. He matches up against bulldog Lance Lynn who goes pitch by pitch. After pitching Game 5 of the ALDS, the Sox won’t be able to use Giolito until Game 3. This ultimately hurts them as the Yankees take advantage of having a healthy Stanton & Judge and wallop the weaker Sox rotation and return to the Fall Classic. Yankees advance 4-2. Aaron Judge ALCS MVP.
NL Playoffs
Here’s how I seed them:
- Dodgers
- Braves
- Cardinals
- Padres
- Brewers
NL Wild Card
Playoffs in San Diego. The city hasn’t seen it much but that’s certainly changing. The Padres are set up to be a great team for the next few years. This is one of my favorite pitching matchups of Yu Darvish and Brandon Woodruff. Two potential Cy Young candidates. It lives up to the hype as they both go 7 innings before their bullpens take over. Josh Hader enters a 1-1 tie game in the bottom of the 9th with the hopes of sending it to extras. However, Trent Grisham has other plans hitting a walk off solo home run. Padres win 2-1.Â
NLDS
Let me preface by saying the MLB playoffs needs revamping. The two best teams should not be meeting in the NLDS. I said this when the Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs all finished top 3, yet the Pirates had to host the Cubs in the Wild Card and the Cubs wound up playing the Cardinals in the NLDS. Same issue arises in 2021 when the Dodgers host the Padres. The two best teams should be fighting to move on to the World Series, not the league championship, but this is what we have. None of the 5 games are blowouts. Each team’s win is by no more than 2 runs. Tatis and Betts go bat for at bat and each have an incredible series. Dodgers advance 3-2.
A rematch of 2019. In 2019, the Braves were on the brink of advancing to the NLCS after having a 2-1 series lead. Yadier Molina then walked off game 4 with a memorable bat toss, and then the Cardinals kept the momentum by scoring a historic 10 run first inning in Game 5. This year it’ll be different for the Braves. This team is a darkhorse title contender. The Cardinals never address their starting pitching woes mid-season and that proves to be their issue. Braves advance 3-1.
NLCS
2020 rematch with the same result. The Dodgers are just that good. The Braves take it to 7 again, but the Dodgers don’t give up. Braves take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 before losing the last 2 in heartbreaking fashion. Trevor Bauer shows the world why he is a $40M man by starting Games 2 & 6, striking out a total of 21 batters. Dodgers advance 4-3. Trevor Bauer NLCS MVP.
World Series
A clash of the titans. This is the matchup the media has been waiting for. Both team’s with an extremely rich history have a chance to add to its legacy. This is the Yankees first World Series in over a decade. The Dodgers return to back to back World Series appearances, something they also did in 2017 & 2018, although losing both. This is a matchup for the ages, going 7 games. Dodgers win World Series 4-3. Cody Bellinger World Series MVP
Regular Season Awards
Rookies of the Year
There are a ton of great looking rookies in this year’s class. Guys like Jarred Kelenic, Andrew Vaughn, Triston McKenzie, and Randy Arozarena will all make a solid case for the AL. Kelenic getting called up later I think hurts his chances compared to the other 3 who made the Opening Day rosters. Give me Andrew Vaughn edging out Triston McKenzie. On the NL, it’s no different. There are 4 guys that I think will lead the discussion. Ian Anderson, Dylan Carlson, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Sixto Sanchez could all be viable winners. Dylan Carlson, who eventually bats ahead of both Goldschmidt and Arenado, ultimately wins the award for the NL.
Cy Youngs
Shane Bieber, Lucas Giolito, and Gerrit Cole lead the class. Bieber, while still elite, will get hurt by the overall Indians play. Gerrit Cole wins his first Cy Young. Many are pegging Jacob deGrom as the winner this year, as they should. He’s great, outstanding, insert any other synonym here. He’s aging like a fine wine. However, as kind of a darkhorse, give me Brandon Woodruff this year. Woodruff will be a huge reason why the Brewers almost take the division away from the Cardinals.
MVP
Mike Trout will likely be back in the top 3 by leading the Angels to the playoffs for only the 2nd time in his career. However, there is a young kid in Toronto that goes ballistic this year. Bo Bichette has a career year and caps it off with a MVP award. In the NL, it seems that Ronald Acuna, Jr, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis, Jr are the favorites. You’ll also hear discussion about the Dodgers trio of Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, and Corey Seager. We can’t rule out reigning MVP Freddie Freeman and Francisco Lindor. This year? I’m going with Juan Soto. There’s a chance he may lose some votes with the Nationals not doing as well as some of the other teams, but Soto is my choice.
