3/21/2018 0 Comments 2018 PredictionsHola to all the fans out there! The delay is over! It existed partially because I started a new job, but also because I really don’t care about what the hell happens in spring training. Yes there were some late signings and some injuries. But not enough to warrant a blog post. But alas, we’re here. Sports Illustrated and their crappy World Series prediction has inspired me. So why wait another week to give my predictions for the 2018 MLB Season? I wont. Ill go division by division for ya first.
AL East: New York Yankees: Yankees (94-68) Red Sox (88-74) Blue Jays (83-79) Orioles (79-83) Rays (71-91) The thing you have to understand about the AL East is that…. no one cares. The Red Sox wont catch the Yankees this year. Its just a fact. Their rotation, bullpen, offense, hell even their bench, is not as good. And even if the Yankees are subjected to a few injuries, they have plenty of guys waiting in the wing to contribute. The only team of interest for me is the Blue Jays. What I think will happen is that they’ll keep pace longer than people think, but will be sellers by early to mid June. They have quite a few pieces they can sell, so they should be able to re-build a farm system that is tough to look at. Their strong start, along with wins a ton of wins against Tampa and Baltimore, spoiler wins late in the year against Boston, and the Yankees’ struggles continuing in the Roger Centre, I put them at 83 wins. So not as far off as it would seem. The AL Central: Minnesota Twins Twins (92-70) Indians (90-72) White Sox (79-83) Royals (77-85) Tigers (69-93) Here is something to keep in mind when talking about the AL Central. They all like to beat up on each other. That is the best way I can describe my predictions for this division. Look, we all know after the first two, it doesn’t matter. I could’ve chalked up any win total under 81 for each and you would’ve thought it wasn’t bad. But I think its important to understand where every team is right now. The Twins’ addition of Lance Lynn is important because they need that extra guy for a 5 game series. I think if Minnesota is ahead of Cleveland in June/July, even if its by a game or two, they will add a Chris Archer-type of guy. You need that dominate number one to coincide with a trip to the postseason. Otherwise, you’ll lose out to the Yankees/‘Stros of the world. But why do I not like the Indians? I think their time has come and gone, and the team is a bit gassed. Thats not to say they are the worst team. In fact, they’re going to the Wild Card game and have the guy to do it (Corey Kluber, duh). But I think last year proved they can get out pitched. Plus, I don’t like this shuffling of the rotation that theyr’e currently doing. I realize having 7 guys its a good thing, but I don’t trust Mike Clevinger and I think Salazar gets moved to the pen. Hooray to the White Sox, who can hang their hat on a couple of good wins in 18’ then really start to make things interesting in 19’. The AL West: Houston Astros Astros (103-59) Angels (89-73) Mariners (86-76) Rangers (82-80) A’s ( 73-89) No brainer up top. But what about everyone else? I think the Angels are pretty legitimate, you’ll have to keep reading to see what I think of them beyond 2nd place (see what Im doing? Im keeping you engaged. Genius, I know). The Mariners will be the biggest disappointment of the year. I predict a solid 2/3 week run for them where we all get over-hyped. Jerry Dipoto will definitely make a move, but will it be the right one? The Rangers are missing quite a bit on the mound to compete. And the A’s……well….lolz Playoffs: Wild Card: Indians over Angels-- Corey Kluber goes 7 and 1/3 innings and blanks the Angels. Mike Trout has a hit because of course he does. ALDS: Yankees over Twins -- As per usual, the Yankees beat up on the Twins in an early round of the playoffs. They snag a weird win in Game 3. Game 4 is pitched by Sonny Gray, who will have a monster 2018. Astros over Indians : The 'Stros prove to be too much for the Indians, which is crazy given the amount of talent they have. Francisco Lindor has a great series, becoming the one bright spot. ALCS: Yankees over Astros: A rematch of last season, the Yankees' rotation comes back and pitches better than ever. CC Sabathia is MVP, becoming the first sign of the end of his career. National League: NL East: Washington Nationals Nationals (91-71) Mets: (83-79) Phillies (80-82) Braves (76-86) Marlins (58-104) Two months ago, I would’ve told you that the Mets will make things interesting and the Nats are going to get nervous. I now have to change my tune a bit, not so much because I think the Mets have taken a step back. They haven’t really, even despite the injuries coming out of camp right now. Its actually because the Phillies look much better, and I think Gabe Kapler will quickly turn into one of the best managers in the game. They’re going to beat the rest of the division more than people think, and they may actually pop up on the Wild Card radar for a bit. But they’re still a few pieces away, so watch out in 19’ or 20’. NL Central: Chicago Cubs Cubs (94-68) Brewers (92-70) Cardinals (88-74) Pirates (76-86) Reds (69-93) Boy this one is a toughie, but not really though. The one issue I have with the Brewers is that they have a rotation that needs work. I don’t think they’ll get a piece that they want. If they do, and Im wrong (I’m not wrong), it’ll be too late in the game for those last couple of wins. The Cards will have a much stronger season, but I think they lose those 2-3 games against both Milwaukee and Chicago that will put them out of it in the end. NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers Dodgers (99-63) Diamondbacks (87-75) Rockies (85-77) Giants (81-81) Padres (75-87) These predictions at first glance make no sense. How do the Dodgers, Rockies, and Dbacks all lose more games? The Giants are going to be the spoiler, and they’re going to start off hot. While this is happening, Dodger fans will panic, and the Dbacks and Rockies will fall too far behind and wont be able to catch up in the end. The Dbacks in particular wont get the pitching they need, even with the 27,000 outfielders they have to use in a potential trade. Playoffs: Wild Card: Brewers over Cardinals: In what will be the game of the year, the Brewers beat the Cards on a walkoff in the 11th inning. Christian Yelich is 0 for 4 with 3 K's.A weird prediction I know, don't ask. NLDS: Dodgers over Cubs : In what could be the best series of the playoffs, the two new rivals duke it out once more. Yu Darvish gets his revenge on his latest club in Game 4, but Clayton Kershaw gets the best of Jawny Lestah (sorry, bad habit) in Game 5. Brewers over Nationals: The Crew sneaks 2 wins against the Nats, who turn around and sneak 1 in Game 3. Game 4 is a blowout, making Bryce Harper's decision a little easier (if he's not extended by then). NLCS: Dodgers over Brewers : The worst series of the post season, the Dodgers sweep the Brewers, making people wonder what happened after a fun 2 weeks beforehand. But Brewers fans can be proud of what will be their best season... well ever I guess. World Series: Yankees over Dodgers (6 Games): Yep, Yankee boy here, proud af. The Dodgers will look tired, and not able to keep up with amazing starting pitching and that bullpen late in the game. Word Series MVP? Aaron Judge. Who will go on the Tonight Show and will continue to be the most modest guy in the world, making you glad they won it all. Yes, I did that ~J~
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