Finally, baseball season is back. Tonight the Yankees and Giants will open the season, and there will be baseball almost every day (the day after the All-Star Game excluded) until November. Contrary to what some would have you believe, it is not inevitable that the Dodgers will win the World Series, Judge and Ohtani will win the MVP’s, and Skenes and Skubal will win the Cy Youngs, it’s just probable. We are coming off of Venezuela (!!!) winning the World Baseball Classic and an all-time seven game World Series for the ages. What we’re going to get next will be fun.

Besides Judge, Ohtani, Harper, Soto, and Altuve, you can learn some new names. Bobby Witt Jr. is the best player in the world that we don’t talk about enough. Roman Anthony is going to be a breakout star. Young players will be rising all season. Guys you might have been ready to bury- Zack Wheeler, Sandy Alcantara, Gerrit Cole- will rise from the ashes. And yes, Ronald Acuna Jr. is back, for real this time.

Let’s launch right into some predictions, beginning in the division of the defending champions…

The National League West

Your about to get a recurring theme here in the National League- a favorite, three very competitive teams, and a team way in the back. There is no favorite quite as far out ahead as the Dodgers this year, and with good reason- they have the deepest, best roster in the sport. While they did win the last two World Series, that depth helps them the least in the playoffs, and the most over the 162 games of the season. The Dodgers open the season with a ridiculously talented rotation- Yamamoto, Glasnow, Ohtani, Sheehan, and Sasaki- and that’s with Blake Snell out into May, top prospect River Ryan sent to the minors, and Justin Wrobleski sent to the bullpen as a long man. The Dodgers again have about eight starters, and will be able to manage how many regular season innings Glasnow, Ohtani, and Snell throw before putting them into the postseason rotation. Last year that cost them a few wins in the regular season, but not nearly enough to make it close. Meanwhile they will let Tommy Edman start the season healing up and get prospect Alex Freehand some at-bats in a platoon at second base with veteran Miguel Rojas. Of course they added Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz to an already really good team. I’d be surprised if they’re not in the 100 win territory. There are lots of complaints about them buying titles, but I think that overstates the reality they have. They have a two way player who is the second best offensive player in baseball, an All-Star level starting pitcher, and differing almost all of his paycheck until he retires. They have a sweetheart deal with MLB that allows them to pocket more of their local television deal money because of a past bankruptcy. But more importantly, they spend their profits on upgrading their team, and they do a good job scouting and developing players. Some of it is shitty and should stop, some of it is just being a good franchise. They were smart enough to spend their money on Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, so maybe people should give them some credit.

Behind them are three teams who are to varying degrees very good. The Padres were an NL Wild Card team last year. The Diamondbacks were in the 2023 World Series. The Giants just had a sneaky good off-season. None of this is extremely predictive of where they are for this season, but it at least makes you take notice. San Diego remains one of the most fierce line-ups in the league, despite adding bargain pieces like Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos in the off-season. Some bargain pieces work, some don’t, but a lineup with Machado, Tatis, Bogaerts, Cronenworth, Merrill, and Laureano will wear down pitchers all season. While their top two starters, King and Pivetta are both coming off of good years (it will take me a bit to believe in Pivetta as a top starter), the rotation as a whole isn’t scary any more. Walker Buehler was another bargain hunter’s buy and will be their number five. Their bullpen remains their strength, despite losing Robert Suarez, as Mason Miller looked like superman in the WBC, but some of the depth they had at the end of the season is gone. This team will be at it’s best when it comes out and hits early in the game and gets to the final third of the game with a lead.

If it was 2018, the Diamondbacks would be terrifying with Carlos Santana and Nolan Arenado. Alas, it’s not. The Diamondbacks lineup is interesting. You have youthful Corbin Carroll (25), Geraldo Perdomo (26), Jordan Lawlar (23), Gabriel Moreno (26), and Alek Thomas (25). You have 30 somethings Ketel Marie (32), Arenado (34), Santana (40), Pavin Smith (30), and James McCann (35). IF everything meshes at once, it’s a good lineup. If not, it can be a disaster. Their rotation is similar. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are back at the top of the rotation, and if they have a bit of a bounce back year and Corbin Burnes gets healthy by midseason and is immediately himself, they have a fearsome rotation. Three “if’s.” Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, and Eduardo Rodriguez are all pretty decent mid-rotation options though, so even if one or two of the “if’s” work out, they are a good group. Paul Sewald provides a veteran closer, but their bullpen really doesn’t stand out as either great or awful going in. This team is probably the biggest enigma in the division.

I praised San Francisco’s offseason and I meant it. This was not a bad team to begin with. They seemed to be the only team not afraid to sign three-time batting champion Luis Arraez, which I think was great, provided they use him correctly and don’t over expose him in the field. They added Harrison Bader as well, coming off of a career year, and as long as they don’t expect him to match that in every category, he’s a good move. Factor in last year’s addition of Rafael Devers and the recent addition of Willy Adames and I really like the offensive upgrades. This team is still pitching based though, and their top two starters Logan Webb and Robbie Ray can certainly match up with any top two in baseball, and have the ability to be the best two pitchers in the division (I said ability). Adrian Houser, Todd Mahle, and Landen Roupp behind them simply have to hold up. Their bullpen isn’t full of big names, but generally should be reliable most of the time. This team simply has to score more runs, and that will really decide how their season goes.

I could sit here and talk about Colorado for a while and tell you how bad they are like everyone else. Their fans don’t need or want that out of me or anyone else at this point. I actually like that they brought in Michael Lorenzen and now can put him, Kyle Freeland, and Jose Quintana together at the front of their rotation and at least look like a professional organization out there. Beyond that, about the best thing I can say is they’re a little closer to not paying Arenado and Bryant to not play for them anymore. That’s the best I’ve got here.

1. Dodgers 104-58
2. San Diego Padres 90-72
3. San Francisco Giants 84-78
4. Arizona Diamondbacks 78-84
5. Colorado Rockies 54-108

The American League East

The last two American League Champions are in this division, so you know it’s pretty good. Let’s start in Toronto, because they were so close to winning the championship that it probably still hurts. Fortunately, they still should be good, unless you buy the theory that they’ll revert to the 2024 version. I really like the Kazuma Okamoto signing, presuming he can stick at third base. Presuming he does, it replaces Bichette’s bat in the lineup and allows them to improve their defense in the middle infield wildly with Clement and Gimenez there. This lineup should be a good hitting group, and if Okamoto works they can be better defensively than last year. Their rotation probably goes about as far as their health. I have little worries about Kevin Gausman, and I know the talent of Dylan Cease, but behind them it gets interesting. Cody Ponce was so good in Korea that the Jays signed him and are making him their #3. Max Scherzer is 41, but did come through in the postseason last year. Eric Lauer was also literally a Korean League pitcher a year or two back and is now locking down the five. Shane Bieber will probably be back to health at some point, they think. Jose Berrios should find his way back too. Trey Yesavage was a postseason hero last year in the same season he pitched games in Dunedin (low-A), but now he’s on the IL. Can they get five good, healthy pitchers at all times this year? We’ll see. Their bullpen is fine if Jeff Hoffman shakes off the World Series and stays healthy this year. Can everything go right again?

I’m not sure I loved the Yankees offseason. Were they as urgent as their fans feel? No. Bellinger is back though, so is Trent Grisham, and Chisholm didn’t leave. Aaron Judge is the best offensive player on the planet. Ben Rice will be expected to be a bigger part of this lineup though, Giancarlo Stanton has to stay in the lineup, and Ryan McMahon has to at least be his career average self. That’s because shortstop is still questionable, and this team has three platoons in their lineup. The Yankees rotation is perfectly fine, with an ace (Max Fried), a sometimes inconsistent, but very capable #2 (Carlos Rodon), and they hope a returning ace (Gerrit Cole). Continued success from Cam Shlittler, Will Warren, and Clarke Schmidt would really help. I’m not sure anyone knows what to expect from Luis Gil right now, least of which Gil. The addition of Ryan Weathers might not have seemed necessary, but I think they’ll be pleased they signed him. I think David Bednar will love closing in New York and Camilo Doval could be very good in the 8th. They probably just benefit from not having Devin Williams. Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez in AAA was not something I expected back in November.

The Boston Red Sox both have a really good and really overrated rotation, and that will have to carry them a bit. Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, and Ranger Suarez are a serious top three. Crochet is a legit top three to five pitcher, Gray and Suarez are both solid two’s, but some prognosticators are going a bit overboard with their projections. Brayan Bello and Connelly Early are nice young arms, and give the Sox probably the best five in the division. The lineup lost it’s best two players (Devers and Bregman) since last year’s opening day, but added Willson Contreras and hopes for the big breakout season from Roman Anthony that I think will happen. Assuming Aroldis Chapman stays timeless, the back end of their bullpen is pretty nasty. This team’s IL list to start the season looks like a group that could win some actual MLB games, so this team’s ceiling may rise as the season continues on.

I’m not sure if Baltimore is going anywhere, but they should be a really fun team to watch. An already potential top tier offense added Pete Alonso and his guaranteed 30 bombs a year. Gunnar Henderson is a straight up top ten player in baseball. Adley Rutschman is due for a return to glory. Jackson Holliday is a candidate for a major breakout. Samuel Basallo and Jeremiah Jackson are joining Henderson, Rutschman, Blaze Alexander, Coby Mayo, Colton Cowser, and Ryan Mountcastle as sub-30 year olds getting serious at-bats. I expect this lineup to rake, and they’ll have to in order to win games. The rotation of Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin, Shane Baz, Trevor Rogers, and Kyle Bradish can’t be worse than last year’s crew, but lacks a true top of the rotation candidate and instead is more of a collection of mid-rotation guys behind a two (when healthy and on). Ryan Helsley as a closer should be an absolute experience, and I mean that in the terrifying sense if he’s like last year’s finish (but if he reverts to what he once was, maybe for hitters). Expect a lot of 10-8 baseball games at Camden Yards this Summer.

What do you write about the Rays? I like Junior Caminero a lot. Their lineup has three platoons in it. Carson Williams excites some people at shortstop. They signed Cedric Mullins. Is this good? I like Shane McClanahan. They have three closers. I guess I like that they got Gavin Lux? Steven Matz is going to be a starter for them in 2026. Does this sound like a playoff team to you? I mean, it doesn’t to me, and yet they do a better job of piecing together a bunch of guys who make no sense together than anyone. Seriously.

1. Boston Red Sox 94-68
2. Toronto Blue Jays 91-71
3. New York Yankees 88-74
4. Baltimore Orioles 76-86
5. Tampa Bay Rays 68-94

The American League Central

I think all roads lead to Chicago, but for our purposes we’ll say that’s Cleveland and start there. How many teams have a few key players snagged in a gambling investigation and then come back from like 15 games to win a division? Yeah, no one. Jose Ramirez is certified a sustained top ten player in the league for a while now and is under appreciated for what he does. Stephen Kwan is a throwback to when not everything was about hitting homers. Beyond that the lineup is human, and will rely on Rhys Hoskins reclaiming past glory and a gaggle of 20 somethings sustaining their finish from last season. Tanner Bibbee and Gavin Williams headline a rotation that is very solid on the whole. Cade Smith is a beast closer, but the bullpen behind him will need a couple of guys to step up. Is this team good? Yes. Can it threepeat? TBD.

In terms of pure talent, Detroit is the team to beat here. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Parker Meadows, and new arrival Kevin McGonigle are young talent that few teams can match. The lineup has some veterans too, and seems like a good mix. The rotation of Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and the returning Justin Verlander is for my money the most dependable in the American League. It’s tough to hate on Kenley Jansen, Will Vest, and Kyle Finnegan at the end of ballgames, and the arms behind them are solid too. So that’s it, this is the best team on paper. They also blew a massive lead last year and haven’t advance past the NLDS as a group. So ask your questions.

It’s hard to cheer agains the Royals. Kansas City has potentially the MVP in Bobby Witt Jr. Salvadore Perez, like Witt, really has loved playing in Kansas City, and they both hope to get a ring there. Vinnie Pasquantino was a big part of that Team Italy in the WBC. This team has a professional lineup, even if it isn’t as deep on paper as the first two. Their rotation looks to me like a collection of two and three starters who are dependable but won’t win the Cy Young. Ex-Phillies Carlos Estevez and Matt Strahm anchor an improved bullpen. Last year wasn’t a great year for this group, but the talent is there to do more.

This might be news, but the Twins are going to try to win games with the guys they have. The bullpen is uninspiring and the rotation behind Joe Ryan is a combination of capable major leaguers and unproven talents. The lineup features Byron Buxton, and he’s elite, as long as he wants to stay. Adding Josh Bell will help them score runs, and they’ll probably trade him later. After that, it’s guys who are passable in the league and a few of them can definitely give you a little more. This team is headed for fourth or fifth. They are trying to see what sticks.

I won’t speak ill of the Pope’s team, but all you need to know is that they spelled Munetaka Murakami’s name wrong after making him their biggest signing in a few years. They’ll improve by dumping Luis Robert Jr.’s .200 batting average and $20 million salary, but we’ll see beyond that in the lineup. I’m a big fan of Colson Montgomery and think him and Murakami could be the beginnings of something really special in Chicago. I also like them getting Luisangel Acuna back for Robert. With those things said, this year won’t be special. The front end of their rotation is young, which I like, but they won’t outmatch the top teams in this division yet. Seranthony Dominguez and Jordan Hicks are in their bullpen this year, which aren’t bad moves for a team with no expectations, but also doesn’t sound like a cinderella run.

1. Detroit Tigers 96-66
2. Cleveland Guardians 85-77
3. Kansas Royals 81-81
4. Chicago White Sox 66-96
5. Minnesota Twins 62-100

The National League Central

I’ve spent the last few days making fun of the Cubs for keeping Michael Conforto and Scott Kingery on their 2026 roster, but if we’re being honest, I watched their camp close enough to say they got the right guys. I’ll save you the reading and tell you outright that I think this team wins the division. The rotation is very solid, with Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, and Cade Horton. Closer Daniel Palencia headlines a group that lost Brad Keller, but still should be good enough. The addition of Alex Bregman to a lineup that already has Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner, and eventually, Seiya Suzuki. This team will win a lot.

Trading your ace after making the NLCS is poverty behavior. Dont sleep on Milwaukee though. This is still a young, stacked lineup anchored by stars Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras. Yes, they traded the ace I mentioned, but they traded Corbin Burnes and got better. They are betting that Brandon Woodruff returning and Jacob Misiorowski in year two will make up for it. Newcomer Brandon Sproat has a lot of talent too. Trevor Megill anchors a good bullpen, but not their best of recent years.

Cincinnati made the playoffs last year and no one seems to remember. Believe it or not, their pitching is considered their strength. Andrew Abbott leads the staff and people will watch him closely to see if he repeats that. Nick Lodolo will start on the IL but has shown promise. Brady Singer is the “old man” at 29, with Chase Burns (23), Jose Franco (25), Rhett Lowder (24), and Brandon Williamson (27) rounding out the group. The offense added Eugenio Suarez as their DH, a sneaky good move. Elly De La Cruz is the face of the lineup and one of my favorite non-Phillies in the game. This group improved a ton defensively getting Ke’Bryan Hayes last year at the deadline. As for the bullpen, Emilio Pagan is the primary closer, but after that there are questions. Losing Nick Martinez could hurt, as he filled many roles there.

Pittsburgh, to be blunt, disappointed me the last few years, and there’s a risk of that again, because I think this team is better than they probably are. To be blunt, this rotation is nasty. Paul Skenes is a freak, but more on that later. Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, and Bubba Chandler all have the ability to be outstanding. Carmen Mlodzinski as the fifth starter is a question mark, but he’s a solid swing man out of the pen. They brought Gregory Soto in to help the middle relief get to Dennis Santana with leads, but they are a question mark. The lineup is greatly improved, adding Marcel Ozuna, Ryan O’Hearn, and Brandon Lowe. The downside is it’s still only average unless Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, or Henry Davis bounce back offensively. Or they call up Konnor Griffin and see how ready he is.

The St. Louis Cardinals are finally accepting their rebuild. I actually like what they’re doing, but this probably won’t be any good this year. Behind #1 starter Matthew Liberatore is an unproven, but younger staff. The bullpen is kind of a work in progress and I’m guessing JoJo Romero will be traded sooner than later. The lineup isn’t ready to compete, but you can be excited about JJ Wetherholt, Nate Gorman, Masyn Winn, and Ivan Herrera. Also, keep your eye on a Jordan Walker possible breakout.

1. Chicago Cubs 93-69
2. Milwaukee Brewers 84-78
3. Cincinnati Reds 81-81
4. Pittsburgh Pirates 78-84
5. St. Louis Cardinals 66-96

The National League East

I will hold off on talking about my Phillies until last. Let’s start in Washington, D.C. This is going to be ugly. Be exited about James Wood. Probably C.J. Abrams too. Keibert Ruiz is in a make or break year. Opening day starter Cade Cavalli has some talent. After that, things get rough. This is a brutal division and they’re not very good, and sort of re-starting their rebuild.

Atlanta finished fourth last year. To be fair, their Spring Training was worse. They lost their shortstop before camp, their DH got suspended for the season for drugs, and one of their two aces is starting the year hurt. With all of that said, the season *should* be better. Chris Sale is healthy and Spencer Strider’s injury isn’t his arm. Ronald Acuna is healthy and primed to contend for an MVP. Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II seem healthy and ready for a bounce back. A good Matt Olson and Austin Riley make this team real. But I’d be more excited about Drake Baldwin than all of them. The bullpen kept Raisel Iglesias and added Robert Suarez which should allow them to hold leads. The pitching injuries added up through camp though and are their biggest problem to start the season.

Miami had a very nice season last year, especially after June 1st, so of course they traded multiple arms. Sandy Alcantara is around, at least for now, but the group behind him isn’t quite what ended last year. The bullpen added Pete Fairbanks to Tyler Phillips to make a pretty good back end of the bullpen tandem. Exactly one position player on the opening day roster is over 30, and Kyle Stowers is hurt, so the offense is suspect. I think they’ll be way ahead of Washington, but this could be a tough season if they don’t find some gems.

So, um, the Mets. You know, my second favorite team in New York. Out the door went Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo. Top prospect Brandon Sproat and the still young Luisangel Acuna got shipped out in trades. In came Freddy Peralta (great move), Bo Bichette (very good move, if you ignore the price), Jorge Polanco (would have been more solid if he was at second), Marcus Semien (nice defensive player), Luis Robert Jr. (over priced, can’t hit, fantastic defense), and Devin Williams (this could go either way). Polanco and Bichette have never played their new positions. Dare I say, the outside additions won’t make up for the 30-40 homers, 35+ saves, former batting champion, and long tenured member of the high end of their order, and well, they won 83 games with those guys. Peralta and Bichette probably even it out, but it’s not good enough. But… and it’s a big but… this team is better than 2025. The reason is solid player development and young guys on the roster. Nolan McLean might only be held back by the organization, and could legitimately be their #2 starter, this year. Putting Carson Benge in right field might be premature, but it is 100% the right move. Francisco Alvarez is still young and talented. Bret Baty and Mark Vientos have both been up and down, but are both young. If any of these guys reach their potential this year, a team with Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor should pass 90 wins and cruise into the postseason.

So, the Phillies… they’re “running it back”… on a 96 win season. You know, I’m good with that. For all of the talk of Harper, Schwarber, and Turner struggling in the Dodgers series and needing help, the Dodgers big trio of Ohtani, Freeman, and Betts was arguably worse. The pitching was really good for both. The series came down to Robertson and Strahm’s 7th inning in game one, Turner’s errant throw home and Nick Castellanos running into an out in game two, and Kerkering’s throw in game four. Robertson, Strahm, and Castellanos are gone. What’s back? A top three to five rotation in baseball that will get more of Zack Wheeler than last year. Schwarber won the NL home run title, Turner won the NL batting title, and neither seems to be slowing down yet. Bryce Harper is looking healthy and should be expected to bounce back majorly. The bullpen has three legitimate beasts at the end and depth out to five, at least. This team does become more league average as the lineup moves beyond its third hitter, but it doesn’t really go below that anywhere. Justin Crawford hit .334 with an .863 OPS last season in AAA, and while those numbers would be unbelievable, even getting close to that would really improve the Phillies. Aidan Miller’s impending arrival sometime late in the Summer is also super exciting- and could tip the scales.

1. Philadelphia Phillies 96-66
2. New York Mets 91-71
3. Atlanta Braves 86-76
4. Miami Marlins 76-86
5. Washington Nationals 58-104

The American League West

Not enough people are talking about Seattle. This team was one win from being in the World Series instead of Toronto. This team has a positively badass rotation lead by Logan Gilbert on Opening Day, but not dropping off at all with Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Emerson Hancock. Their bullpen lacks big names, but was more than effective last year. Hopefully Cal Raleigh can be nicer to Randy Arozarena, because they are big parts of a big time lineup. Julio Rodriguez has superstar talent and can take this team to new heights and Josh Naylor is certified.

For so many years the Houston Astros dominated this division. Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, and Christian Javier put together four starters that give them hope of a return to glory, while the fifth starter spot will likely move around a lot. The bullpen has the potential to go either way, lacking that marquee name they’ve had for years, but having plenty of depth. Some of the big names in the lineup- Altuve, Alvarez, and Correa- are still around, but are joined by a younger core now that features players like Cam Smith. Ironically, a lot rides on a big bounce back by Christian Walker from an awful first season in Houston.

The Texas Rangers may not be a trendy pick to win, but I love that rotation. Nate Eovaldi and Jacob de Grom might not be young, but they’re both still good. Mackenzie Gore, Jack Leiter, and Kumar Rocker are all young, talented, and unproven to different levels. If everything clicks between health and talent, they’re as good as anyone. The bullpen is unproven, but talented. Corey Seager is the face of the lineup and a certified boss. They added Brandon Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen, which are very different moves. Joc Pederson could be fun in Texas.

The Athletics (I initially wrote Oakland) is like Baltimore, really fun, but probably not ready to contend. Luis Severino is the only starter with a long track record and their ballpark isn’t known as super pitcher friendly. Their bullpen is similar. The lineup though? Fun. Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson are ballers. Brent Rooker has consistently been a top five DH for a few years now. Shea Langeliers is hitting his prime. Denzel Clarke is fun to watch. Jeff McNeil provides them a veteran hitter. They need to score a lot to win, can they?

Anaheim, Los Angeles, whatever I’m supposed to call the Angels- it’s going to be a while. Mike Trout is there, assuming he plays enough, so that’s worth watching I guess? It’s sad he’s rotting there like this, he’s one of the best players I ever saw. Jorge Soler will hit some bombs. I like Jo Adell and Josh Lowe. The lineup on the whole isn’t great. The rotation isn’t much better and their bullpen includes Jordan Romano, so you know what that is.

1. Seattle Mariners 98-64
2. Houston Astros 90-72
3. Texas Rangers 82-80
4. Sacramento Athletics 74-88
5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 60-102

Season Awards

So I’ll get it out of the way- Judge and Ohtani are the clear MVP favorites and Skubal and Skenes for Cy Young are the same. Let’s be creative for a moment and assume they all fail to win. So who are the picks then? For AL MVP, the next four (in order) for me are Bobby Witt Jr., Roman Anthony, Julio Rodriguez, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. For the NL MVP, again in order I’m going Juan Soto, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bryce Harper, and Ronald Acuna Jr. In the NL Cy Young race, my top four in order are Zack Wheeler (yes, what a story that would be), Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Logan Webb, and Cristopher Sanchez. In the AL Cy Young race, my top four are Garrett Crochet, Bryan Woo, Jacob de Grom, and Max Fried. Now again, the favorites are the real favorites, but what fun is that.

Konnor Griffin will arrive in the majors soon and win the NL Rookie of the year, with Nolan McLean, JJ Wetherholt, Justin Crawford, Carson Benge, and Andrew Painter all hanging around. Kevin McGonigle will be the AL winner, with Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto both contending. Dan Wilson will be AL Manager of the Year and Craig Counsell will win the NL.

Now, the Playoffs…

In the AL I have Seattle as the top seed and Detroit as second. That means Boston plays New York and Toronto plays Houston. In the NL I have LA as the top seeds, Philadelphia as two, and the Cubs meeting the Braves and the Mets meeting the Padres.

I think the Braves will be healthy by this point, pitching wise, meaning a tough match up for the Cubs. Steeler’s return this season will be just enough for a Cubs win. I like the Mets over the Padres too.

Houston upsets Toronto to advance and well… that other series… damn. Fried, Cole, and Rodon vs. Crochet, Suarez, and Gray… I’ll take the Yankees.

In the NLDS, I have the Dodgers beating the Mets up, largely on pitching and my Phillies outlasting the Cubs.

In the ALDS, I’ll take the Mariners to edge out Houston and the Yankees to beat Detroit in an epic.

In the NLCS, I’ll just say I think the Phillies can win this series and the series too. The Dodgers have to be favored, right? And every time I pick them, they lose. So, fine, LA wins again, because Ohtani walks a couple times.

In the ALCS, Seattle beats New York in another nail biter. Sad for Judge if this happens.

Again, I’m picking the Dodgers, because they have the best roster and I hope it jinxes them.

Statistical winners

AL Homers- Judge

NL Homers- Ohtani

AL Batting- Witt

NL Batting- Arraez narrowly over Turner

AL RBI- Guerrero

NL RBI- Riley

AL Wins- Fried

NL Wins- Yamamoto

AL ERA- Skubal

NL ERA- Skenes

AL Strikeouts- Crochet

NL Strikeouts- Sale

AL Innings- Fried

NL Innings- Webb

AL WAR- Judge

NL WAR- Ohtani

Play ball.