MLB Season Preview and Predictions

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/05/12/chris-sale-one-1-hitter-chicago-white-sox-anaheim-los-angeles-angels/2154577/

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2013/05/12/chris-sale-one-1-hitter-chicago-white-sox-anaheim-los-angeles-angels/2154577/

Ryan Ribeiro, Staff Writer '17

America’s favorite pastime is back! It’s that time of year when the weather turns from frosty with snowflakes to warm with sunny skies. As teams assemble for spring training across the south to prepare for the new season, fans are forced to anxiously wait another month before the real baseball begins and many of their biggest questions are answered. Will President Dave Dombrowski’s extreme “win-now” philosophy pay off for the Red Sox? Can Houston bounce back from a disappointing season with their especially young and inexperienced team? Will the Cubs be able to maintain their dominance?

While questions about certain teams and their success certainly dominate the minds of many fans of the game, some of the game’s most prominent players and owners face uncertainty as well. During the winter, New York Mets pitcher Jeurys Familia was arrested on charges of domestic violence against his wife. Though the case was dismissed in December, commissioner Rob Manfred has noted that the league is running its own investigation and that punishment is likely, according to columnist Bob Klapisch of NorthJersey.com. So, while other leagues like the NFL and MMA have been lackluster in dealing with such difficult and damaging situations, Major League Baseball appears to be attempting to make a change. And then there is Hal Steinbrenner. When asked about the decision to bring back closer Aroldis Chapman to the Bronx after he was suspended 30 games last year for domestic violence, several media outlets quoted the controversial Yankees owner as saying, “Sooner or later we forget, right?” While it looks as if the league is doing its part in trying to get across a strong message across to its players, the “winning is everything” philosophy of owners and general managers suggests that the issue of the MLB’s tacit acceptance of domestic violence will likely continue.

 

NL Preview

Possibly the most competitive and talented division in the entire league resides in the upper part of the country. The NL Central has been the premier division for years and has had a team win the World Series three times in the last ten years. The Chicago Cubs certainly enter the season as favorites with their stellar young hitters and surprisingly dominant pitching staff. All that and having Joe Maddon at the helm points to great success. Expect Chicago to win the division again (easily) and be a strong contender for a spot in the Fall Classic.

As for the rest of the division, it will be a tough fight all season for both the Cardinals and Pirates in a battle for not only second place but also a Wild Card spot. In years past, the Cardinals have dominated Pittsburgh in the regular season, but it seems as if the Pirates finally have all the pieces in place with their stellar outfield and stars like Jung Ho-Kang and Josh Harrison in the infield to go along with an above average pitching staff. This will certainly be a battle to keep an eye on throughout the season.

The most difficult decision to predict every season is undoubtedly the NL West. The “even year” team is certainly the San Francisco Giants but they are too talented a team in the offense department to count them out only due to the fact that it is 2017.

However, if you go a little south to Los Angeles you will see a team ready to make another run at a title. The Dodgers fell a little short last season, but the dominance of pitcher Clayton Kershaw and constant surge of runs produced by guys like Adrian Gonzalez and Justin Turner is definitely enough for the team to get back to the NLCS. Whether they have the squad to match up and defeat the extremely dangerous Cubs is yet to be seen. At the end of it all, the West will be settled between the Giants and Dodgers as teams like the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Rockies are just not ready to compete.

The NL East, while not loaded with the same type of depth as the Central, has two teams ready to break out and possibly challenge the Cubs as NL Champions. In the offseason, Washington added All-Star catcher Matt Wieters and traded for the solid bat of Adam Eaton from the White Sox. However, they did that at the cost of their top pitching prospect in Lucas Giolito. Regardless, the Nats have a loaded starting rotation that goes hand-in-hand with the star power of Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and up-and-comer in Trea Turner.

Speaking of a loaded starting rotation, there is a team in Queens who has something to say about claiming that NL East crown. The Mets were somehow able to hold onto Yoenis Cespedes this past winter and now, just like every year, will be depending on the health of their roster in order to be able to make a serious run. David Wright and Lucas Duda will be a key part of the team’s success but neither have shown the ability to stay on the field for more than half a season in recent years. However, the most important aspect of this team’s success this year will be the pitching staff. If players like Steven Matz, Matt Harvey, and Jacob DeGrom can bounce back after some injuries than the Mets will be in good shape. The Mets have the team to compete and make it back to the World Series, but the pieces will certainly need to fall in place perfectly for it to happen.

 

AL Preview

The biggest surprise of the 2016 season was definitely the sudden and dominant rise of the Cleveland Indians. Some might consider a repeat of Cleveland’s magical last season unlikely, but they’re not looking at the talent up and down their roster: Corey Kluber, Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, and Francisco Lindor are all cornerstone players that will let the Indians sit atop the Central for years to come. Terry Francona, who led the Red Sox out from mockery just over a decade ago, appears ready for the challenge of keeping this team together and focused, and with the players on that roster, his job should not be too hard.

The other team to watch in this division is the Kansas City Royals. The Royals caught a bad break last year in losing Mike Moustakas for the season due to a knee injury and the unfortunate passing of Yordano Ventura in January. Ventura was the fiery, hard-throwing young stud of the staff and his presence will certainly be missed in Kansas City. Ned Yost, however, has a way of channeling his team into making a passionate and inspiring run at the drop of a dime, so watch out for these tricky Royals.

The Texas Rangers appeared to be the team to beat when the playoffs kicked off last season. However, a quick exit in the American League Division Series to the Blue Jays left much to be desired. After rolling through the regular season, Texas really seemed to catch a bad case of the butterflies come October. If the Rangers want to be serious contenders this year, which they have the talent to do, then they need to sure up the back end of both their starting rotation and their bullpen. With big bats like Mike Napoli, Rougned Odor, and Jonathan Lucroy, the Rangers could make a run at the best record in the American League.

Not far off this year, though, should be the Houston Astros. After showing great promise and development just two seasons ago, the Astros took a pretty surprising step back last season. After a Cy Young winning season, Dallas Keuchel and the entire pitching staff was an extreme disappointment. While they did nothing to improve the situation this offseason, Keuchel and fellow pitcher Lance McCullers are too talented to have another letdown of a season. Along with that, young stars like Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve are hungry for another playoff run and more than capable of leading one.

The AL East looks ready for a revival of the great Red Sox-Yankees rivalry this season. With Boston buying their way into serious contention this offseason and the Yankees tremendous surge of youthful superstars last season, both teams look ready for success and ready to fight for the top spot in the East. Fans have long waited for a playoff series between the two teams, but this season, the matchup seems to be a realistic aspiration.

On the Yankee’s side, Gary Sánchez looks ready to put the team on his back and dominate the game of baseball with the impressing supporting cast of Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and the talented young pitcher in Luis Severino.

Just a ways up the coast, the new acquisition of Chris Sale alongside David Price and Rick Porcello has to have Yankee hitters a little nervous for the upcoming matchups. Along with pitching staff, the Red Sox boast impressive young stars as well in Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Xander Bogaerts. And with All-Star Craig Kimbrel closing things out every night, it will not be easy to get past these Red Sox. With 19 total meetings between the two, expect a good old fashioned rivalry to return and bring the AL East back from the dead.

Do not overlook the team over the border, though. Toronto once again finished just a few games shy from their first World Series appearance since 1993. While the departure of Edwin Encarnación is huge, stars like José Bautista, Josh Donaldson, and Marcus Stroman will keep this team in contention. One thing Toronto has done consistently over the past few years is put up a fight when everyone thinks they are dead in the water, do not expect that mentality to change especially with manager John Gibbons still running the show. They may not have the same success as Boston and New York, but the Blue Jays should keep things interesting and possibly make a run late in the season.

 

NL Standings

  1. Chicago Cubs
  2. Los Angeles Dodgers
  3. Washington Nationals

Wild Card:

  1. New York Mets
  2. Pittsburgh Pirates

 

AL Standings

  1. Texas Rangers
  2. Boston Red Sox
  3. Cleveland Indians

Wild Card:

  1. New York Yankees
  2. Houston Astros

 

NL Wild Card

Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Mets

Result: Mets defeat Pirates

 

AL Wild Card

Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees

Result: Yankees defeat Astros

 

NLDS

Washington Nationals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Result: Dodgers in 5

 

New York Mets vs. Chicago Cubs

Result: Cubs in 5

 

ALDS

Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox

Result: Red Sox in 3

 

New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers

Result: Yankees in 4

 

NLCS

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs

NL Champion: Cubs in 6

 

ALCS

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox

AL Champion: Yankees in 7

 

World Series

New York Yankees vs. Chicago Cubs

World Series Champion: Cubs in 5