The wait is finally over. After a few long, lonely, wintry months, America’s pastime is back.
To me, Opening Day deserves to be mentioned in the same vein as that first warm breeze of the spring: they both signal that we’re nearly through the dreariest months of the year, and that cool summer nights at the ballpark are right around the corner. The weather will warm, leaves will return, flowers will bloom, sun will be soaked up and skin will be tanned. For most of us, this means life will improve exponentially, and for some of us, baseball will be right by our sides every step of the way. I couldn’t imagine anything better. Here are my predictions for the 150th season of this wonderful sport, most of which will surely be wrong.
AL EAST
This is one of the most up-for-grabs divisions in baseball. The Blue Jays won the AL East last year en route to their first World Series appearance in over three decades. They should be the favorites to win this division again, having brought back much of the roster that took them oh so close to a ring. Just a step behind them are the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles. The villainous Yankees, while perpetually overrated at the start of every season, have to be given a smidge of respect due to the elite starpower of their lineup (ever heard of Aaron Judge?). The Orioles, with the addition of Pete Alonso, can’t be forgotten about either. The Rays could make a push too, with their young and extremely fun roster, led by Junior Caminero. The same goes for the Red Sox, especially after the World Baseball Classic dominance of Roman Anthony and Jarren Duran. The only given in this division is that nobody can be counted out.
Prediction: 1. Blue Jays 2. Yankees 3. Orioles 4. Rays 5. Red Sox.
AL CENTRAL
I think we would all be shocked if the Tigers don’t end the year at the top of the AL Central (although their monumental collapse last year showed us anything can happen). Their roster, which took them inches away from an ALCS berth in October, only got better. They added Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander to shore up the rotation behind the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal. Anything less than another deep playoff run would be a disappointment for the Tigers. The Royals, led by perennial MVP candidate Bobby Witt Jr., are the second-best team in this division. The Guardians, who won the Central last year, continue to be one of the most boringly talented teams in baseball. They will always have a chance to compete as long as they employ José Ramírez, but their roster fails to excite me in any way. The White Sox and Twins will both be among the worst teams in the MLB, but I like the idea of the young core of the White Sox (aka Munetaka Murakami) helping them (slightly) exceed expectations.
Prediction: 1. Tigers 2. Royals 3. Guardians 4. White Sox 5. Twins.
AL WEST
For the first time in any of our lifetimes, the Mariners are the clear frontrunners to win the AL West. Why? If you look past the superteam down in LA, the M’s have the most complete roster in baseball. Yes, they lost the beloved Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco in the offseason, but they also added what they were missing most last year: a consistent contact bat in Brendan Donovan. They also boast (arguably) the best rotation (Bryan Woo Cy Young Award anyone?) and farm system in baseball. The M’s will be contending for the AL Pennant this season. Behind them, second place could be anyone’s (except the Angels). I like the Rangers and the A’s to make the biggest push, as the Astros undeniably lost much more than they added over the offseason. Still, they can never be discounted. Despite the talented lineups of the Rangers and A’s, I see the Mariners being the only AL West team that will still be playing in October.
Prediction: 1. Mariners 2. Rangers 3. A’s 4. Astros 5. Angels.
NL EAST
Even with the loss of Pete Alonso, the Mets improved their roster this winter. They bolstered the rotation by signing ace Freddy Peralta and shored up the infield with Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco. Expect the Mets to be one of the biggest threats to the Dodgers in the NL this year. Right on their heels will be the Phillies, who have one of the best rotations in baseball. The lineup should mash once again, especially with the addition of Adolis Garcia. The sleeper in this division is the Braves. As long as Ronald Acuña Jr. is healthy, they can never be counted out. The Marlins and Nationals will round out the fourth and fifth spots, still being years away from contention, although the Marlins might be closer than many people think.
Prediction: 1. Mets 2. Phillies 3. Braves 4. Marlins 5. Nationals.
NL CENTRAL
The Brewers handily won the NL Central last season, and I could certainly see that happening again, despite the aforementioned loss of Freddy Peralta. However, I have the Cubs taking the top spot. They swapped out one former Astro for another, losing Kyle Tucker but signing Alex Bregman. Bregman and highlight-reel centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will help the Cubs edge out the Brewers. If anybody else in this division is going to challenge the top two squads, it will be the Reds. They squeaked into the playoffs last year, and they only improved their roster over the offseason. Save for lonely superstar pitcher Paul Skenes, the Pirates have pretty much nobody. However, if some of their top prospects pan out, we could be talking about them a lot differently in a few months. The Cardinals are an afterthought in this division, as they will be near the bottom of the barrel across the entire league.
Prediction: 1. Cubs 2. Brewers 3. Reds 4. Pirates 5. Cardinals.
NL WEST
The rich got richer this offseason. The Dodgers lost none of their major pieces and poached slugger Kyle Tucker from the Cubs and Edwin Diaz from the Mets. There’s not much to say about the Dodgers, as anything other than a World Series ring would be a failure. The battle for the second spot in the division should be extremely competitive. I have the Padres and the star-power at the top of their lineup finishing behind the Dodgers and claiming a wild card spot. In a close race, I trust the team that will be most likely to close out tight games, and the Padres have the best closer in the league in Mason Miller. In third place, I like the scrappy D-Backs a tad more than the aging Giants. All this being said, I wouldn’t be surprised to find these three teams in any possible order by the end of September. As for the Rockies, they will once again be the worst team in the MLB.
Prediction: 1. Dodgers 2. Padres 3. Diamondbacks 4. Giants 5. Rockies.
PLAYOFFS
AL Wild Card: Yankees defeat Orioles, Tigers defeat Red Sox.
NL Wild Card: Phillies defeat Brewers, Cubs defeat Padres.
ALDS: Mariners defeat Yankees, Blue Jays defeat Tigers.
NLDS: Dodgers defeat Phillies, Mets defeat Cubs.
ALCS: Mariners defeat Blue Jays.
NLCS: Dodgers defeat Mets.
World Series: Dodgers defeat Mariners.
At the end of what will surely be a memorable season, one full of heartbreak and jubilation alike, the Mariners make their first World Series in franchise history, only to face the behemoth Dodgers, who will defeat the M’s in heartbreaking fashion to win their third straight title. They are simply undeniable.
