It's that wonderful time of the year again. Spring is in the air. The weather is beautiful, the grass is getting greener, and the tree leaves are blossoming. In the sports world the NHL and NBA playoffs are set to begin, the NFL draft approaches, March Madness has spread across the country, and the world awaits the final stages of the Champions League in Europe. It's amazing. Best of all though, America's Pastime returns. Baseball is back.
It was 5 months ago that the Royals completed their fairy tale ending by defeating the Mets in the World Series. While that team is now cemented into history; the slate has been wiped clean for everyone else as Sunday, April 3rd, the Pirates and the Cardinals kick off the 2016 season at beautiful PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
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| PNC Park |
With every new season comes a new set of predictions. Spring Training is over, the rosters are set, and everyone wants to be the expert who guessed the winners before the season even began. I'm no stranger to this so here are my predictions for the upcoming season.
NL East:
- New York Mets
- Washington Nationals
- Miami Marlins
- Atlanta Braves
- Philadelphia Phillies
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| The Mets rotation is as talented as they come |
The Mets are the popular choice in this division and rightfully so. Their rotation is widely considered the best in baseball; going six strong once Zach Wheeler returns. They lost Daniel Murphy but replaced him with Neil Walker who is a very similar player value wise.The Mets also signed Asdrubal Cabrera to take over SS and brought back the man who saved their season last year, Yoenis Cespedes. Add in a full season of Michael Conforto and it's hard to pick against this team.
The Nationals on paper look like they should be right there with the Mets. They have the top end rotation talent in Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg plus the superstar in Bryce Harper. A revamped bullpen and offseason additions Daniel Murphy and Ben Revere should help mitigate the loss of Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmerman. But after last season it's hard to have much faith in this team. They'll have to prove me wrong here... they certainly have the talent to do so.
The Marlins are a sleeper team with their young talent (Fernandez, Stanton, Gordon, Yelich, Ozuna, Bour) and I like the Wei-Yin Chen signing but can they stay healthy and be consistent?
The Braves and Phillies are both in tank mode so I'd be shocked to see either make a run this year despite some very talented young players on each team.
NL Central:
- Chicago Cubs
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Cincinnati Reds
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| Will the curse be broken? |
The Cubs are the talk of the baseball world. With a curse of 108 years hanging over their heads, they've built an absolute powerhouse of a team. Led by the best manager in baseball (Joe Maddon) and an excellent young core of superstars (Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Addison Russell, Jorge Soler and Javier Baez) they went out and had what many consider the best offseason. Adding Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist to an already stacked lineup, re-signing Dexter Fowler to play CF, and putting John Lackey behind Jake Arrieta and John Lester puts this team firmly on top of this division.
The Pirates are coming off back to back seasons of being eliminated in the wildcard game. It's tough to blame them for losing to Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta but that won't make those losses feel any better. Despite a very quiet offseason, this is still an extremely talented team. Everyone knows about Andrew McCutchen but the two guys playing next to him make that outfield the best in the majors. Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco are both widely underrated around the league. Gerrit Cole is a potential Cy Young winner and Ray Searage continues to work his magic on the back end of the rotation.
It sure is tough to vote against the St. Louis Cardinals isn't it? The Cards are always winning no matter what happens. Losing Albert Pujols in 2011 didn't stop them so nothing will, right? Wrong. Despite having an extraordinary ability to bounce back from anything I think this is the year the magic runs out. Their division and league rivals got better and they didn't. It's as simple as that. Losing Heyward and Lackey will hurt a team who's best players are aging and health is always a concern. Signing Mike Leake isn't enough to win me over with this team.
The Brewers and Reds are both in rebuild mode and I don't expect much from either of them. I feel bad for Joey Votto who is back to his elite ways but stuck on a mediocre team. Expect Jonathan Lucroy and Jay Bruce to get traded from each of these teams by the deadline.
NL West:
- San Fransisco Giants
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Colorado Rockies
- San Diego Padres
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| Even year magic? |
I had to change this pick after finding out that AJ Pollock of the Diamondbacks fractured his elbow and is having surgery. He's that much of an impact player. So instead I'll go with the Giants to win the West. EVEN YEAR RIGHT?! Other than that I think their rotation is as solid as they come and if Denard Span stays healthy he's one of the steals of the offseason. EVEN YEAR. They have at least an above average player at every position and the pitching staff is strong from the starters to the closer. EVEN YEAR. It's hard to find a weakness on this team. EVEN YEAR. Plus, they have Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey. Oh, and EVEN YEAR.
Even with AJ Pollock's injury I've got this as a 3 team race in the West. The D-Backs were 2nd in runs scored last season and added Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller to a healthy Patrick Corbin. I don't like the cost of the Miller and Segura trades but they still acquired legitimate talent. This isn't the Padres of last year. This is already a very solid team and now they have the top end talent in the rotation to reflect it. If Pollock returns from his injury this season then they should be even more feared. Goldschmidt is a top 5 player in the game and with the added pitching it should be enough to keep them in the hunt.
The Dodgers are an interesting case because they didn't necessarily need to go out and splash the cash this offseason; but they didn't really get better either. They lost Greinke to a division rival. I think Dodgers fans are underrating the impact he had on the team last season. They didn't replicate that value with their signings and now they're already being bitten by the injury bug. There isn't much to hate on this team; but there wasn't much to hate on their previous teams either. Couple that with the moves of the D-Backs and Giants and it's hard to pick them this year.
The Rockies and Padres still haven't decided if they should rebuild it seems. We thought Colorado started the rebuild with the Tulo trade but then they kept CarGo and traded Dickerson for bullpen help. San Diego failed miserably last year and now half their roster is being shopped around in trades. Each of these teams are mediocre at the moment and need a plan to follow. Colorado still has a fantastic offense but once again lacks starting pitching.
AL East:
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Boston Red Sox
- New York Yankees
- Baltimore Orioles
The Blue Jays are still the team to beat in the East. After winning it last year they bring back almost the same roster. They lost David Price but they only had him for half a season as it was. They get a full year of Tulowitzki, maybe, and added some nice rotation depth in J.A. Happ and Jesse Chavez. Drew Storen makes their bullpen better and they have pieces to deal at the deadline to make another run.
The rest of this division is a pick 'em. All of them are going to finish within a few games of each other. None of them are bad teams but none of them are great teams. I went with Tampa Bay to finish second because they have a nice blend of speed and power in their lineup; and I like their staff better than anyone else in this division. Chris Archer should contend for the Cy Young and I think the Brad Miller, Corey Dickerson, and Steve Pearce acquisitions are flying under the radar. Many forget that this team finished 80-82 last season. They aren't far away from competing.
The Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles all have great offenses and suspect pitching. I picked them to finish in that order because of that. David Price and Craig Kimbrel shouldn't be overlooked, but are they enough to take a last place team over the hump? The Yankees starting pitching isn't very good and the lineup is aging quickly. Obviously I love that bullpen, but Chapman is suspended and Miller is pitching hurt. The Orioles are going to hit a million homers and strike out equally as much. Their rotation has talent but not enough to overtake the rest of the division. As I said, after the Blue Jays there isn't a defining order. All of these teams have the talent to make the playoffs if things go right though.
AL Central:
- Cleveland Indians
- Kansas City Royals
- Detroit Tigers
- Chicago White Sox
- Minnesota Twins
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| The Dynamic Duo |
You read that correctly, the Royals aren't winning the division. This year is the Tribe's time to shine. Led by the two pictured above and the most underrated pitching staff in baseball, the Indians are going to win a tightly contested AL Central. The Indians have 3 aces in their rotation with Kluber, Carrasco, and Salazar. The rest of the rotation is solid and the bullpen should get the job done. The Indians built solid depth in their lineup with signings such as Rajai Davis, Mike Napoli, Marlon Byrd, and Juan Uribe. Nothing too flashy, but flashy wasn't really needed. Michael Brantley should be healthy and returning to the lineup soon; while Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis should be able to carry the load while he's out.
The Royals are coming off a championship and that can't be overlooked. This is still a very good team and they were able to bring back Alex Gordon. However, they received basically zero reinforcement and lost deadline acquisitions Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. Signing Ian Kennedy doesn't really inspire; and while they didn't need to make any big moves, they may have not done enough to win the division again this year.
The Tigers were big spenders this offseason acquiring Justin Upton and Jordan Zimmerman. They traded for Fransisco Rodriguez and Cameron Maybin. These are all solid moves to build around an already solid core. While their biggest stars are aging the talent is certainly there to contend. Did they do enough to overcome their division partners after a last place finish last year? I'm not sure about that.
The White Sox had one of the best moves of the offseason with the Todd Frazier deal and they have a bonafide ace in Chris Sale. Jose Quintana is a great second option in the rotation; and Jose Abreu had a stellar sophomore campaign after his terrific rookie year. All of that being said, the locker room is a mess after the Adam Laroche ordeal and adding guys like Brett Lawrie and Mat Latos isn't going to help. The back end of the rotation has big question marks and the bullpen isn't stellar. There's enough here to win if things go their way, but I'm not seeing it in 2016.
It's hard to pick the Twins to finish last after the cinderella campaign they put together last year that almost resulted in a postseason birth. However, they needed to do more to improve the team in the offseason and their biggest signing was Byung Ho Park. It's very possible that Park has success in the MLB much like Jung Ho Kang did for the Pirates last year; but it isn't guaranteed. The rotation isn't trustworthy enough to pick them to repeat their success from last year.
AL West:
- Texas Rangers
- Houston Astros
- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
- Seattle Mariners
- Oakland Athletics
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| Yu know who returns to the Rangers rotation? |
It hurts me not to go biased here and pick the Angels but I'm trying to look at this objectively. The Rangers won the division last year with a number of things go against them. Mainly, not having Yu Darvish for the entire season. They went out and acquired Cole Hamels and everything changed. They made a huge run and ended up winning the West. Well guess what? Hamels is still there and Yu Darvish returns this year. The Rangers have a good rotation and a great bullpen. Their lineup is still as solid as ever and the Ian Desmond signing is going to be the most underrated acquisition of the offseason.
The Astros shocked everyone last year by competing much earlier than people expected. That young core is nothing to mess with. They didn't do much this offseason, but a full year of Carlos Correa is as big an acquisition as you need. The one big acquisition they did make, Ken Giles, is going to help the bullpen significantly. The rotation is good enough behind Keuchel and the lineup is solid. There's questions at 1B and DH that need answering but there's enough there to battle for the division this year.
Yes, I have the Angels finishing third. I hate it. I really do. This is my team, and I want nothing but success for them. Looking at the Angels objectively though, there's too many questions. Pretty much every expert is picking the Angels to have a disastrous year. I won't go that far. They could absolutely shock the world and win this division. It would take a lot to go the Angels way though. A rock could provide more offense then the Angels received in LF last season and the infamous Daniel Nava/Craig Gentry platoon is better than a rock... Hopefully. Unfortunately, the depth in the rotation is disappearing after an injury to CJ Wilson and Jered Weaver's transformation into a slow pitch softball player. While Garrett Richards has the stuff to be an ace, he has to prove it this season at full health. The Halos will be a fun watch this season with Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons, and Albert Pujols; but will they have enough to answer the doubters?
Jerry Dipoto stormed into the Mariners organization like an HGTV show. He wanted to change everything. He treated the Mariners like his very own Fixer Upper (Shoutout to Chip and Joanna! Sic 'em Bears). Unfortunately for Jerry, it's going to take time for all of these new players to gel with their teammates and new manager. The Mariners are going to continue to be mediocre this year. There's talent on that team but nothing to put them over the edge from last season.
The A's continue to be the A's. I really don't know what else to say. They made some solid bullpen additions and took a flyer on Rich Hill. They brought back Jed Lowrie but really didn't do enough to overcome last season's last place finish.
Wild Card:
AL: Astros over Royals NL: Pirates over Diamondbacks
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| Altuve and the Astros will go to the ALDS for the 2nd straight season |
Ultimately the Royals and Astros are just too good to leave out of the playoffs. A fun rematch of the ALDS from last season in a 1 game battle to the Division Series. This time, the Astros prevail and the Royals fail to repeat as champions.
The Pirates will head to their 4th straight Wild Card game, this time against Zack Greinke and the Diamondbacks. After losing to Bumgarner and Arrieta the past two years, the Pirates overcome their past problems and shut down the Diamondbacks to head to the NLDS.
ALDS:
Rangers over Astros in 4; Indians over Blue Jays in 3
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| The Rangers will head to the ALCS by defeating their rivals |
The Rangers 1-2 punch of Hamels and Darvish is enough to topple their in-state rivals.
Likewise, the Indians trio of aces shuts down the vaunted Blue Jays offense.
NLDS:
Cubs over Pirates in 5; Giants over Mets in 5
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| Is 2016 an even year? I can't remember... |
We don't get our NLCS rematch from last year as the EVEN YEAR Giants just manage to pull it out against the Mets and their lethal pitching.
The Cubs are taken to the limit by their division rival Pirates. Arrieta stands tall in Game 5 much like he did against Pittsburgh in the WC game last season.
ALCS:
Indians over Rangers in 6
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| The Indians head to their first World Series since 1997 |
The Tribe rides that pitching and clutch hitting from Mike Napoli all the way to the World Series.
Cleveland fans don't want to get their hopes up because their hearts have been broken before.
NLCS:
Cubs over Giants in 5
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| The Cubs are heading to the World Series... This is not a drill. |
EVEN YEAR... wait. That can't be right, is it? Yes it is. The Cubs shut down the Giants even year nonsense in 5 games and head to the World Series.
Cubs fans don't want to get their hopes up because their hearts have been broken before.
World Series:
Cubs over Indians in 6
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| Do you believe in miracles?! |
The curse is broken. The. Curse. Is. Broken. Cubs win. Fly the W.
MVP:
AL: Mike Trout NL: Anthony Rizzo
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| Will Trout win his 2nd MVP? |
Cy Young:
AL: Chris Archer NL: Jose Fernandez
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| Jose Fernandez is healthy and gunning for his 1st Cy Young |
Rookie of the Year:
AL: Byung Ho Park NL: Corey Seager
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| The Korean Slugger is looking to make a big impact in his rookie season |
Manager of the Year:
AL: Terry Francona NL: Chip Hale
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| The front office has given Chip Hale a great team to manage in the 2016 season |
Comeback Player of the Year:
AL: Yu Darvish NL: Adam Wainwright
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| The Cardinals need Adam Wainwright at full health if they plan on competing this season |
Well there you have it. My predictions for the 2016 season. I didn't realize this would turn out to be a novel. It'll be fun to come back and see how wrong I was at the end of the year!
