League Predictions:
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Minnesota Twins
AL West: Oakland A’s
AL Wild Cards: Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros
NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
NL West: LA Dodgers
NL Wild Cards: Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs
Playoffs:
Unfortunately, I expect the Yankees to add another ring to their collection this year and beat to LA Dodgers in the World Series. The Dodgers probably have the deepest team in baseball and added to this by signing Mookie Betts this offseason. On paper, they are stacked and will be tough to beat. After getting knocked from the playoffs last year by the eventual-champion Washington Nationals, the Dodgers will get closer to a ring this year. The Yankees are fully in win-now mode. The addition of Gerritt Cole strengthened the Yankees pitching and may be enough to push them over the edge. Stanton and Judge will lead the charger at the plate and it is a scary lineup throughout.
As far as the Phillies go, I expect them to beat the Cubs in the Wild-Card round but ultimately get knocked out by the Dodgers. The team is in the right direction and I believe they will outperform many of the expectations that are set for them. If they are able to make the playoffs the season should be looked at as a major success that can be built on.
Awards:
NL MVP: Bryce Harper (Phillies)
AL MVP: Aaron Judge (Yankees)
With a hot start to the season, Bryce Harper has a legitimate chance to pave a path to being crowned MVP. If the Phillies are to make some noise this year he will need to play like the superstar that he is, and that is a role he is comfortable filling The Yankees are loaded this year and Aaron Judge seems ready to re-establish himself as the offensive threat that was seen in his 2017 season. Whoever wins this award will need to play their best right from the start due to the shortened season and a surprise name could pop up due to this.
NL Cy Young: Jack Flaherty (St. Louis Cardinals)
AL Cy Young: Lucas Giolito (Chicago White Sox)
NL Rookie of the Year: Carter Kieboom (3B Nationals)
AL Rookie of the Year: Luis Robert (OF White Sox)
Overall Thoughts:
While it has been teased for so long, the day is finally here where the sweet sound of the ball hitting the bat and calls of “Play Ball” can finally ring out. This is a unique season but it should be embraced for what it is. It is pretty certain there will never be a season with such extreme circumstances and whatever team comes on top this year will have accomplished an impressive feat. Expect for some surprise teams to come out of the woodwork and most importantly let’s celebrate that we are finally through the dark days without baseball.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
