2015 MLB Predictions Thread

[Dwight Strawberry]

Here we are, days away from the first pitches of Spring Training being thrown, weeks away from fantasy draft week, and a little over a month away from when the games count. It’s baseball season motherfuckers!

As a diehard Mets fan, I finally see a team that just might be back on the rise again after all the years of anguish after the ‘collapse.’ The pitching is loaded with young talent and the offense could do just enough if they can all stay healthy. Needless to say, I’m always excited when a new season begins, but this season, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit more excited than years past.

So, let me get right to it. My 2015 MLB Predictions with a bonus fantasy tidbit for each team.

AL East

Boston Red Sox – Sure, their pitching may lack a true ace or even #2 for that matter, but damn, they tooled the fuck-up on offense. They are going to score a lot of runs. FANTASY TIP: When it’s all said and done, Big Papi is Boston’s fantasy MVP.
Toronto Blue Jays – Again, another potent offense with questionable staff. FANTASY TIP: Marcus Stroman ends the season as an SP2
Baltimore Orioles – Not sure how I feel about this team. They could win the division and it wouldn’t shock me. FANTASY TIP: Travis Snider – age 27 season. He hits 25+ bombs and knocks in 80+
NY Yankees – The post Jeter era begins. Will Carlos Beltran eventually get into the Hall of Fame? FANTASY TIP: Brian McCann has huge season. Leads all catchers in Homeruns, RBIs, and Runs
Tampa Bay Rays – Wow, this team looks like shit. FANTASY TIP: Desmond Jennings is who he is. He never will have the breakout season everyone hoped for

AL Central

Detroit Tigers – Things could blow up, and they could be a bottom feeder. I’ll give em the benefit of the doubt. FANTASY TIP: JD Martinez continues his emergence as a man who can swing the fuckin’ bat
Cleveland Indians – They have that major motion picture Major League team feel to em. FANTASY TIP: Michael Brantly keeps the 20/20 label, but his average goes south back to the .280’s
Chicago White Sox – Should be much better in 2015, but still don’t think they have enough to beat out DET or CLE. FANTASY TIP: Jose Abreu?
Kansas City Royals – Exciting 2014. Was really pulling for these guys to win it all. Sadly, I think that was their only shot. This team looks worse to me. FANTASY TIP: Alex Rios has another one of those ‘pretty good’ seasons. Keeping his streak of good year, bad year, good year, average year, good year alive well into his 30’s
Minnesota Twins – They have some nice prospects on the way. Just realized Paul Molitor is their manager…when did that happen? FANTASY TIP: Try not to have any Twins on your team…Unless they are currently on their minor league roster

AL West

Seattle Mariners – This is my surprise AL team. I have them over the Angels. FANTASY TIP: Austin Jackson gets back to being a bit more productive with the bat and steals 20+ bags for the first time since 2011
LA Angels – They could absolutely win the division. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t try and add a proven SP this offseason. FANTASY TIP: Andrew Heaney takes some big strides this season and provides more value than just SP depth on your bench
Texas Rangers – Another team that could flat out win this division. How does Prince bounce back? Choo? Will Profar ever meet his potential? We’ll have to wait another year. FANTASY TIP: Leonys Martin adds a bit of pop and throws together a 20/20 season
Oakland A’s – This team man. They look pretty average on paper, but they always seem to out preform expectations. FANTASY TIP: Tyler Clippard helps fantasy teams year over year
Houston Astros – It’s still weird to me that these guys are in the AL now. FANTASY TIP: Even Gattis has great C value since he will be DHing. Go get em SOB’s

NL East

Washington Nationals – Best team on paper by far. This pitching staff…jeez. FANTASY TIP: Pick a pitcher…ANY pitcher
New York Mets – “You Gotta Believe!” FANTASY TIP: Zach Wheeler is the best Mets SP in 2015
Miami Marlins – Dallas Latos can sit on my face anytime she pleases. FANTASY TIP: Christian Yelich goes 20/20
Atlanta Braves – Fuck these guys. FANTASY TIP: Changing is name from BJ back to Melvin will add 15 more points to his batting average. Upton may possibly approach .230 this year
Philadelphia Phillies – Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels have new homes by the trading deadline. FANTASY TIP: Ryne Sandberg is the best hitter on the Phillies

NL Central

Pittsburgh Pirates – This should be one of the most exciting divisions in baseball again in 2015. Especially with the Cubs and their fat wad of prospects. FANTASY TIP: Gregory Polanco has a real nice Sophomore season
Chicago Cubs – Yeah, I’m believing the prospect hype. Going to be a fun team to watch. FANTASY TIP: Jorge Soler is going to be something special
St. Louis Cardinals – These guys will flirt with the division as they always do. FANTASY TIP: Jason Heyward has the breakout season we have all been waiting for
Milwaukee Brewers – Why haven’t these guys gone back to their 80’s style logo and colors yet? FANTASY TIP: Ryan Braun brings it all back together. Finishes 2015 a top 10 player
Cincinnati Reds – This team is boring as shit. FANTASY TIP: Will Joey Votto ever be great again? Doubt it

NL West

LA Dodgers – They should be pretty pretty good. FANTASY TIP: Joc Pederson is a bust in 2015
San Diego Padres – A lot of new faces…Let’s see what happens. FANTASY TIP: I’d draft anyone of their SPs for my team
San Francisco Giants – Congrats on 2014. Now rest for a year and we’ll see ya again in 2016. FANTASY TIP: Brandon Belt will have a great April and very average May through September
Arizona Diamondbacks – I think they are going to be pretty bad. FANTASY TIP: Mark Trumbo has never nor will never be on any of my fantasy teams…ever!
Colorado Rockies – Cargo and Tulo get traded at the trading deadline. FANTASY TIP: Cargo and Tulo could also be injured for the season at the trading deadline

NL Wild Cards: New York Mets & San Diego Padres
AL Wild Cards: LA Angels & Toronto Blue Jays

NL Champion: Washington Nationals
AL Champion: Boston Red Sox

World Series Champion: Washington Nationals

NL MVP: Anthony Rendon
AL MVP: Robinson Cano

NL CY Young: Stephen Strasberg
AL CY Young: King Felix

NL ROY: Kris Bryant
AL ROY: Andrew Heaney

NL Comeback POY: Matt Harvey
AL Comeback POY: Prince Fielder


So, there it is folks. My predictions that I will most likely be wrong on about 80% of them. I always enjoy writing this up every season though. I hope you all enjoy the read and please share your own predictions.

Baseball is back my friends. Enjoy that comfort food.

PLAY BALL!

[Philaflava]

Safe and seems pretty accurate with the exception of your blatant Joc hate. I think the O's find ways to win without Cruz and surprise everyone like KC did last year, especially if Bundy is legit. I don't believe in the Angels. Too much talent. Too much risk. Too much injuries lingering. They will always be good, but not good enough to win a World Series.

I guess I'll do my own since I have opinions on all these teams as well.

[Philaflava]

AL East

Baltimore Orioles – This team will surprise everyone despite their subtractions. Wieters is back. Davis has something to prove and is cleared to use a little help. Schoop is solid, Machado is healthy and Jones will be Jones-like. Their SP isn't flashy but they have really solid guys who all can keep you in the game. Gausman, Bundy, Tillman and Chen are all nice arms. Plus Showalter knows how to win!

Boston Red Sox – Amazing on paper. Probably the sexiest looking squad we've seen assembled in awhile. Every player on that team can hit double-digit HRs and assuming Bogaerts, Betts and Castillio are as advertised, this team is going to be sick for years to come. Now, can they keep all these great players with their subpar pitching? Wade Miley and Clay Buchholz will not win you World Series. Pitching, experienced pitching does and they don't have much.

NY Yankees – They will be fun to watch because it will be like the farewell tour of a bunch of borderline HOF or former elite players. I think the best SP on the team ends up being Pineda because I trust he'll stay healthier than CC or Tanaka and Eovaldi needs more time to adjust and facing the AL East could be a challenge in his first year as an AL SP. I'd be surprised if they have anyone on this team batting over .280 before the season ended. But with their line-up they should be able to put together enough wins to place 3rd. Headley, Gardner and Ellsbury should all have nice years but I honestly think A-Rod will do .260/22/75 and be a really nice DH piece for them.

Toronto Blue Jays – A nice little team as well. Great trades and FA signings but they need a rebound year from Dickey and Stroman and Norris to be solid back end SPs. They have 3 legit 100+ RBI guys in an age where that is unheard of. But we all know Reyes or Bautista or some key player will be hurt and their staff is too inexperienced to win the East.

Tampa Bay Rays – I feel bad for Archer, Cobb and Smyly because they are wasting away on this shit squad. Longoria can be the MVP but it won't matter because his team sucks and chances are he'll get hurt anyways. What a shitty squad. This might be the year Dickie V kicks the bucket.

AL Central

Detroit Tigers – Hard to count them out when they have Miggy, V-Mart, JD, Cespedes, Kinsler and a bunch of elite pitchers like Price, Sanchez and former-elite Verlander. They only need 2.5 great SP to get them to the World Series with that offense. But their bats were their biggest problem last year, not Verlander. They were limp dick in the post season and I think Miggy only has a few more chance left. I expect a really nice year from Nicky The Greek and JD Martinez too. Their pen is nice as fuck too.

Chicago White Sox – Assuming their SP staff stays healthy, I fucking love this team. Their pitching if sick. Their pen is nice, plus they got Robertson and Petricka too. The LaRoche pick-up was slept-on. If Abreu has a repeat year, I don't see how this isn't the 2nd best team in the AL Central.

KC Royals - No way they repeat but they can win 83-85 games and back in again. They lost Butler but added Morales which could be a wash power # wise. They have really severvices hitters and great defense. That means a lot when games are close. Ventura will get rocked hard throughout the year and Dan Duffy might end up being their real #2. Still, they're a gritty team.

Cleveland Indians - A team full of mullatos, fat dudes, Jesus freaks and a guy by with a porn name of Lonnie Chisenhall. I like 'em. I like Terry and how his players work for him. I think Brantley comes back to earth because he isn't GREAT, he's real good tho. After Carrasco their back end is question marks. Salazar's control or Floyd's inability to keep the ball in the park. My favorite player on this team is probably Yan Gomes. Kipnis is better but still not what he was 2 years ago. Faggot.

Minnesota Twins – Sano. Buxton. Myjah.

AL West and NL coming soon.

[Philaflava]

Back by popular demand.

AL West

Seattle Mariners – Like Kev, I like this team a lot but I don't know if they will be a surprise to anyone. They added Cruz which will help Cano, but between Seager and Zunino, they really have the power they've been missing for awhile. A-Jax should be a great fit too. Their Top 4 SP are as good as it gets in the AL. I love Wagner, Paxton too and wouldn't be surprised to see Farquhar take over the 9th when Rodney implodes finally.

Texas Rangers – Tough break with Profar but Odor and Andrus are just as good if not better. Fielder is back and he and Beltre should both flirt with 28/100. They still need another SP because after Holland its kinda whatever.

LA Angels – I just don't have a good feeling about this team. I said this earlier in the thread before that whole Hamilton bs. They're full of holes if you ask. Weaver will be the same 17 W, mid 3's low 150 K guy which is great, but you have no idea what Richards will be like after that injury and Heaney is still too fresh. That leaves CJ Wilson and Shoemaker who you have to depend on in the post season. No fucking thanks.

Oakland A’s – Beane finds ways. Those trades will make sense before the season is over. Well, all but the Donaldson one. Their biggest challenge is health (Kazmir, Parker, Crisp, Reddick, Lawrie & Davis) and I don't see how they stay healthy enough to compete.

Houston Astros – A glorified AAA team. Yuck.

NL East

Washington Nationals – World Series favorites in the NL. They have 6 legit starters and the best staff in all of baseball. Harper though, .270/25/70 so just accept he is who he is.

Miami Marlins – They went from the most hated team to now one of the most exciting teams. I love their staff assuming Fernandez is back by June. They still need one more power bat because you can't trust Morse too much but they're a really good team now with Gordon, Yelich, Ozuna and of course Sexy Stanton.

Philadelphia Phillies - Placing 3rd doesn't mean you're great it means you can probably win in the high 70s, which is what I'm hoping for. Realistically, they have no shot. But with Lee back and healthy and Hamels eager to win for somebody, this team is going to play with a chip on their shoulders. I don't think they'll win 78, but 75-6 is realistic if their youngsters (Franco, Ruf, Asche, Brown) can contribute. I also expect Howard to hit 25 and bring in 84 RBI. Their RP is fucking phenomenal.

New York Mets – This new belief in this team is cute, but they are years away from truly contending. Harvey, assuming he is what he was is great and when Syndergaard is groomed they'll make a great 1-2 punch, but Zach Wheeler will be their trade chip because this team still needs a legit bat. Wright is on the decline and after Murphy not a single bat on this team can put up .270. Cuddyler, Granderson, Duda, Lagares...Does this sound like a great team in 2015?

Atlanta Braves – I don't know WTF this team is thinking. Freddie Freeman has nobody around him. The team is pathetic and might be worst than Philly when its all said and done. Horrible moves by them. Nothing made sense and it never will.


NL Central & NL West coming soon....

[Myjah]

This is all very funny.

Minnesota Twins are going to be better than others who don't know what is actually going on expect. Pray for Kennys Vargas.

And Chicago White Sox are EASILY the favorite in the division now. Tigers is such a lazy ass pick.

smgdh

[alpha]

I always enjoy reading Jason's predictions, and then completely disagreeing with them.

[Philaflava]

All good but which ones do you strongly disagree with? Curious.

[alpha]

I feel like the AL east is pretty open. Even a team like TB could challenge for the WC. KC Royals lost Butler and Shields, but they got some good upside signings and I think the pitching is still legit as fuck. It's still a 6 inning game for them and they got a legit lineup if the postseason wasn't a fluke.

Phillies ahead of the Mets has curious, because their lineups are both pretty bad but Harvey/Wheeler > Lee/Hamels just because one or both wont be a phillie all season.

[Philaflava]

Harvey will be on a pitch count and Wheeler doesn't last 6 innings. Have you seen the Mets bullpen? Agree about the AL East with the exception of Tampa. No way they get the WC.

[Kid That's Lifeless]

Even a team like TB could challenge for the WC.

I love that optimism, but nah. 70 wins, tops. The lineup is truly terrible and it wasn't great for some years, but the rotation isn't nearly as good as it once was. Archer's my dude, Cobb's quietly a third-tier starter (I consider Kershaw his own tier), Smyly's fine. Also, Desmond Jennings is about 70% of the player BJ was when he was with the Rays and gets maybe 10% of the shit. Moral of the story: Fuck Rays fans.

[jredd109]

al east - could go either way with the top 2. i think toronto's rotation gets the slight nod over boston's. wouldn't surprise to see baltimore on top again either though.

toronto
boston
baltimore
ny
tampa

central - top 4 teams are all bunched up the whole year

detroit
chicago
kc
cleveland
minnesota

west - i don't think seattle will be surprising anyone. should at least earn a wc spot if they don't take the division.

seattle
los angeles
oakland
texas
houston - at least they'll lead the world in strikeouts

nl east

washington
miami
ny
atlanta
philadelphia

central

st louis
pittsburg
cincinatti
chicago
milwaukee

west

la
san diego
san Francisco
arizona
colorado


al wildcards
boston
chicago

nl wildcards
pittsburg
san diego

ws
seattle vs washington

al mvp - jose bautista
nl mvp - giancarlo stanton

al cy - felix hernandez
nl cy - clayton kershaw

al roy - greg bird
nl roy - kris bryant

[Joe Pesci]

AL East
1) Red Sox (no pitching but will probably slug their way to first place)
2) Blue Jays (WC)
3) Yankees
4) Orioles
5) Rays

AL Central
1) Tigers
2) White Sox
3) Indians
4) Royals (kinda feel like last year was a fluke)
5) Twins

AL West
1) Angels
2) Mariners (WC) (might finally hit enough to sneak into the playoffs)
3) Athletics
4) Rangers
5) Astros

NL East
1) Nationals
2) Marlins (WC) (my dark horse, think this is a young and exciting team)
3) Mets
4) Braves
5) Phillies

NL Central
1) Cardinals
2) Pirates
3) Cubs (will be improved, but I'm not buying the playoff hype)
4) Reds
5) Brewers

NL West
1) Dodgers
2) Padres (WC)
3) Giants (they just barely miss out on the playoffs)
4) Rockies
5) Diamondbacks

WS: Nationals def. Angels

AL MVP: Trout
NL MVP: Stanton

AL Cy: Sale
NL Cy: Kershaw

AL ROY: Hearney
NL ROY: Pederson

AL Comeback Player: Fielder
NL Comeback Player: Harvey

[peanut butter]

NL:
East:
1. Nats. Best team in baseball. 100+ wins. Three contenders to win the Cy. And Rendon takes over as the best 2B in the NL.
2. Marlins. (WC) Get well soon Jose. Stanton will finish top three in the MVP race.
3. Mets. I like the direction they are headed. Hopefully Harvey goes a full season. Should consider packaging that young pitching for Tulo
4. Braves. Garbage team. Freeman is underrated, for being so good and so consistent.
5. Phils. Please trade Chase. He deserves it.

Central:
1. Cardinals. Of course. Fuck this team. That trade for Heyward was so smart.
2. Pirates. Cutch is the MVP, again. He's the prototypical CF. Cole is a stud, too. Josh Harrison gonna regress like a motherfucker tho.
3. Cubs. Not there yet. Baez isn't gonna workout. That's Russell's job. If Soler is still eligible for ROY, I think he has a real shot.
4. Reds. Trade Cueto before he leaves in FA. Votto bounces back. That Marlon Byrd trade sure was weird
5. Brewers. The Gallardo trade is the clearest indication they dont intend to contend this year.


West:
1. Dodgers. Second best team in baseball. Kershaw is a cyborg. Look forward to Puig putting together an MVP-type season, and making all the old, racist sportswriters question the meaning of life.
2. Giants. (WC) Someone else already told the every other year joke you were about to make, and it wasn't funny either.
3. Padres. Paper champs. Still a lot of holes on this team, especially in the infield and rotation. Can't wait to see the misadventures of Myers in CF.
4. Rockies. Please trade Tulo.
5. D'Backs. Tomas is not Puig or Abreu.

AL
East:
1. Red Sox. Third best team in baseball. They are gonna mash. Can't wait to see who they move to get an ace.
2. Orioles. (WC) Buck has something goin on over there. I can't identify it, but I'm sick of picking against them. For the love of god tho, go get a at least an actual #2 starter so it stops seeming so fluky.
3. Blue Jays. Sucks bad about Stroman. Donaldson will never be an all star again. Encarnacion leads the leads in bombs this year.
4. Yankees. Ugly team. Hopefully Tanaka is OK
5. D'Rays. Matt Moore? I dunno. This is hopeless.

Central:
1. Tigers. We're nearing the end of their dominance. That stretch of Kinsler/Cabrera/Martinez/Cespedes is some shit
2. Tribe. Just not enough pitching, because Kluber is gonna regress. Excited for Lindor.
3. White Sox. I really like what the Sox did this offseason, still lots of holes tho. Sale wins the Cy.
4. Royals. That was cute. Gonna miss Shields immensely. I like the Rios signing
5. Twins. We're getting there.

West:
1. A's. Beane wins until he doesn't.
2. Mariners. (WC) Two of the best players in the AL, I think Cruz improves their offense, Seager keeps getting better...it's a fun squad.
3. Angels. If Richards comes back, they could jump up. But Hamilton is completely done, Weaver is getting fat, and missing Kendrick's consistency hurts too. Heaney should be a nice piece. As is, if they win, it'll be basically entirely cuz of Trout.
4. Astros. Too bad Singleton couldn't replace Howard for the Phils, because he's a perfect continuation of that lineage.
5. Rangers. They are cursed. Poor Beltre.


MVP:
NL- Cutch
AL- Trout

Cy:
NL- Kershaw
AL- Sale

ROY:
NL- Soler
AL- Castillo

Nats over Red Sox in the World Series


PEACE

[jredd109]

if chase wanted to be gone, he'd be gone.

also, if the rangers are out of it, i bet beltre is traded to a contender at or before the deadline.

[Tommy Bunz]

Rangers have already picked up Beltre's option for 2016 and just publicly stated they want him to retire as a Ranger. Which makes sense cause then he might go in the HOF with their colors.

I don't feel like writing out predictions, probably like Pesci's the best. Although I think the Indians are the 2nd best team in the AL Central. PB you are sleeping on their pitching hard, I don't think Kluber is due for much regression at all, he's legit and Carrasco/Bauer/Salazar has as much upside as any rotation in baseball. Plus I think Yan Gomes is entering top 5 catchers in baseball territory, Lindor should be up by May, Kipnis & Moss should rebound, really like this team.

Glad everyone is on the fuck Royals team. Hilarious they spent more money on two bums than it would've cost to retain Shields.

Still think the Jays are in good shape. They are perfect trade partners with us for Hamels and Papelbon. They should trade Stroman to us. WTF at hating on Donaldson moving into one of the best hitters parks while still in the tail end of his prime.

I think the Marlins real break-out year is next year. I think Jose is going to need most of the season to shake off the rust.

I'm actually all on board the Soler winning ROY award too.

[chump change]

the hate for the astros... ouch..

that's ok.. feeling pretty good that we make the playoffs this year..

[peanut butter]

Although I think the Indians are the 2nd best team in the AL Central. PB you are sleeping on their pitching hard, I don't think Kluber is due for much regression at all, he's legit and Carrasco/Bauer/Salazar has as much upside as any rotation in baseball. Plus I think Yan Gomes is entering top 5 catchers in baseball territory, Lindor should be up by May, Kipnis & Moss should rebound, really like this team.

We'll disagree about Kluber, and the rest of those guys have downside that matches their upside. I'm most optimistic about Carrasco, and though they are all talented, I don't think they are close to a sure thing. I like Gomes, but I don't think Brantley can have another MVP type season. Moss is Adam Dunn Jr. A nice player, but not necessarily a key piece on a contender. That said, I do expect Santana and Kipnis to bounce back, so that should give them protection. They are a good team for sure, just have a few too many question marks for me to pick them to dethrone the Tigers.



PEACE

[Tommy Bunz]

Not saying they dethrone the Tigers, just that I have a lot more faith that they can win 3-5 more games than last year than I do that the White Sox are now 15 Wins better than last year.
I really like what Chicago is doing, but I just don't see how they improved that much to be the 2nd best team in that division. And I think Samardzija is a bigger regression candidate than Kluber for that matter.

[peanut butter]

the hate for the astros... ouch..

that's ok.. feeling pretty good that we make the playoffs this year..

It's not hate. They seem headed in the right direction. But they just aren't a good team and they play in a brutal division. Not like its some unfounded disbelief people have in the team. They tore the team apart, now are currently in the midst of a complete rebuild, have a way to go but are doing better. Anyone picking against them is being reasonable


PEACE

[Reason]

NL:
East:
1. Nats. Best team in baseball. 100+ wins. Three contenders to win the Cy. And Rendon takes over as the best 2B in the NL.
2. Marlins. (WC) Get well soon Jose. Stanton will finish top three in the MVP race.
3. Mets. I like the direction they are headed. Hopefully Harvey goes a full season. Should consider packaging that young pitching for Tulo
4. Braves. Garbage team. Freeman is underrated, for being so good and so consistent.
5. Phils. Please trade Chase. He deserves it.

couldn't have said it better myself so i'll just quote that for nl east

Central:
1. Cubs. They'll win the division in the last week of the season at around 89 wins. Lester wins CY young over Bumgarner and Harvey (Kershaw has his first down year - for him - in...forever)
2. Pirates. Cutch wins another MVP.
3. Cardinals. Not enough/too raw pitching and another Yadier Molina injury dooms them to a 81-81 finish.
4. Reds. Can Chapman throw 1000 innings? otherwise bleh
5. Brewers. bleh. opening day starter is kyle lohse. says it all.


West:
1. Dodgers. best team money can buy wins this division by 10+ games
2. Giants. bumgarner should win cy young but giants mediocre, non-contending status gives the edge to lester especially on the cubs back in the postseason rhetoric
3. Padres. copy/paste from pb again b/c perfect again: Paper champs. Still a lot of holes on this team, especially in the infield and rotation. Can't wait to see the misadventures of Myers in CF.
4. Rockies. corey dickerson and tulo finish the year with an OPS over 1.000 at home...and under .800 on the road...and the rockies with 70 games
5. D'Backs. bleh. fuck tony larussa and his attitude towards metrics.

AL
East:
1. Red Sox. they are gonna run away with this division, win it by 7+
2. D'Rays. the rays shock every1 again by winning 90 games and snagging a 2nd wild card spot, smyly and odorrizi pitch extremely effectively relatively speaking and the rotation churns out quality starts
3. Orioles. kevin gausman makes the jump to legit stud #2/potential 1 status and orioles give buck yet another winning season but the losses of long-time orioles like markakis prove too costly
4. Yankees. worst team money can buy? a-rod hits 20 homers. otherwise it's an ugly year and they shut down tanaka after soreness in june and then finally opt for tommy john. girardi wills the team to a 2nd to last finish
5. Blue Jays. every year it seems someone really important gets hurt or implodes (remember ricky romero), and they lose more than stroman and it ruins their year

Central:
1. Tigers. price narrowly beats out king felix for the cy young. verlander returns to a 90% version of his former cy young winning self. miggy hits 30 homers but misses patches of games.
2. White Sox. abreu wins mvp. sale finishes 3rd in cy young voting.
3. Tribe. carlos carrasco and danny salazar form one of the best trios with kluber...but their 4th-5th starters suck horribly and there isn't enough hitting to overcome that
4. Twins. phil hughes somehow improves slightly, plouffe does what he did in 2012 only over a full season, gibson improves significantly and santana proves to be a good signing, at least for this year
5. Royals. the ned yost romance is over and he gets canned after the royals become a team that goes from the world series to last place in their league


West:
1. Mariners. The culture was changed with Cano's consistent, unflappable mojo but moreso by the emergence of legit talent in Seager, ackley/zunino/jackson/smith all exceed or meet expectations, king felix narrowly loses the cy young to david price
2. A's. Beaneball gets the A's a wild card spot
3. Angels. Trout gets some of his average back but loses some of his power, garret richards injury proves a point of no return as he can't find his near-cy form, pujols is that much older, and the losses of josh hamilton and tyler skaggs proves especially bad especially when jered weaver is left to be the only starter who puts in an above-average year
4. Astros. This experiment is gonna have to take a bit longer. Carter might mash 37 homers and hit .200 though on some jeremy burnitz/dave kingman shit
5. Rangers. man are they fucked. funniest thing was that washington quit/retired from managing b/c he was fucking around with some woman and he blamed his job for his cheating on his wife


MVP:
NL- Cutch
AL- Abreu

Cy:
NL- Lester
AL- Price

Nationals beat the Red Sox in 6 games for the World Series Title...Bryce doesn't sign any contracts, eventually gets to FA and then --feeling justified by winning a title before leaving--bolts to the yankees and signs the first $400 million dollar contract in sports history

[alpha]

I never post full on predictions so here we go..

AL West
1. A's: Billy Beane. Semien breaks out.
2. Angels: Trout does his thing and Pujols does too for one more year
3. Mariners: I just don't see it yet
4. Rangers: just good enough to be .500
5. Astros: I think all the teams in this division could win 80, even the 'stros.

AL Central
1. Royals-Losing Shields sucks, but I'm just gonna go on record saying last season was no fluke and that the hitters keep on hitting.
2. Every team but the Twins, could really see any of the better 4 teams making it. ChiSox got pitching, Indians are the best pick for well rounded if the arms work out, and Tigers get by on that lineup overall.
5. Twins: Sano and Buxton come up this year and light it up. edit: not 2016 yet

AL East
1. Jays-Even with Stroman going out, they break out and win the division. Or they finish in last due to their rotation. I'm betting it falls into place finally.
2. Yankees-all these older fucks have one more year left. Or least some combo of them. The pitching finally gets healthy and Tex and Arod turn back the clock.
3. Redsox-This lineup is straight murder. They have a rotation of can't stay healthy and 4 #3's. I hope Sandoval has some kind of food related season long injury.
4. Orioles: Let's all hope Weiters and Machado come back and rake. They have top pitching in the wings but this just seems like they're due to fall back.
5. Rays-they have a killer rotation. that alone makes me think they'll compete. winning record at the very least

[alpha]

NL West
1. Dodgers: most money, best front office, best SP, most exciting player. fuck them. not if, but when.
2. Giants: Belt breaks out.
3. Padres: That OF is a fucking talented mess. Myers breaks out if he stays healthy.
4. Rockies: plz trade Tulo and Cargo and just let them be. Looking forward to seeing Gray pitch sometime this season
5. Dbags: I like the front office.

NL Central:
1. Cardinals: Class all the way. Fuck them
2. Pirates: They still have top talent in the minors and on the field. no reason they don't make the playoffs or win the divison.
3. Cubs: Not yet but this lineup is scary good already
4. Reds: they score a ton, and regret Vottos contract each passing day.
5. Brewers: if they finish 3rd or 5th does anyone care?

NL East
1. Nats: the best thing since sliced bread. 100 wins. Strasburg does the Cy Young and Harper finally puts it together.
2. Marlins: Best OF in baseball.
3. Mets: they have a decent team despite losing Wheeler. Scary team for 2016/2017
4. Braves: Pitching gets them respect but worst lineup in the majors.
5. Phils: rebuild needs to happen in full.

[Myjah]

AL East
Orioles
Jays
Yankees
Rays
Red Sox

AL Central
White Sox
Royals
Twins
Tigers
Indians

AL West
Angels
A's
Mariners
Astros
Rangers

NL East
Nationals
Marlins
Braves
Mets
Phillies

NL Centra
Cardinals (barf)
Cubs
Pirates
Reds
Brewers

NL West
Dodgers
Padres
Giants
Rockies
D'Backs


I want the Marlins to win the World Series if not the Cubs. Not expecting either of those to happen though.

5. Twins: Sano and Buxton come up this year and light it up. edit: not 2016 yet

Honestly think calling up Alex Meyer would make a bigger impact on the Twins right now.

[Myjah]

I'm really happy everyone here except for Dwight Strawberry (ya bum!) has the same top 2 NL East teams. I'm cheering for the Fightin' Redmonds all the way.

[peanut butter]

Takin control of this shit because we're like 5 days away and we still haven't done it. Feel free to add on if you don't like what I've got.

1. Mike Trout will finish the season with a bWAR of 8
2. Nationals will win 92.5 games
3. Jose Abreu will hit 30 home runs
4. Adrian Beltre will hit .300
5. Miguel Cabrera will drive in 115 runs
6. Stephen Strasburg will strike out 215 batters
7. Billy Hamilton will steal 65 bases
8. Giancarlo Staton will finish the season with an OPS of .900
9. Clayton Kershaw will post an ERA of 2.35
10. Padres will win 85 games
11. Aroldis Chapman will average 16 K/9
12. Edwin Encarnacion will hit more home runs than Jose Bautista
13. Chris Carter will strike out 190 times
14. Andrew McCutchen will hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases
15. Corey Kluber will post an ERA of 3.00
16. Blue Jays will finish with more wins than the Orioles
17. Kris Bryant will hit more home runs than Ryan Braun
18. Jered Weaver will win more games than Adam Wainwright
19. Cardinals will win 89 games
20. David Price will win 14 games
21. Chris Davis will hit .250
22. Byron Buxton will score 10 runs
23. Madison Bumgarner will post a WHIP of 1.05
24. Victor Martinez will have better OBP than Joey Votto
25. Johnny Cueto will post an ERA of 3.00
26. Anthony Rizzo will drive in more runs than Evan Longoria
27. Felix Hernandez will finish the season with a lower ERA than Chris Sale
28. Paul Goldschmidt will hit 28 homers
29. Jose Altuve will get 190 hits
30. Craig Kimbrel will save 45 games
31. Carlos Gonzalez will play 120 games
32. Wil Myers will lead Padres outfielders in RBIs
33. Justin Verlander will finish the season with an ERA lower than Tim Lincecum
34. Robinson Cano will hit 40 doubles
35. Yasiel Puig will score more runs than Carlos Gomez
36. The Cubs will win more games than the White Sox
37. Jacoby Ellsbury will make the all star team
38. Josh Donaldson will finish the season with a higher WAR than Troy Tulowitzki
39. Albert Pujols will drive in 100 runs
40. Yasmany Tomas will receive more rookie of the year votes than Jorge Soler


PEACE

[eternalreflection]

Can't believe its that time again, should be able to make it to a decent number of games this year. Really want to see Trout play but that isn't until late September

Hoping Mauer recovers from a god-awful year, he still has 3 more years on the contract after this one.

[peanut butter]

Takin control of this shit because we're like 5 days away and we still haven't done it. Feel free to add on if you don't like what I've got.

1. Mike Trout will finish the season with a bWAR of 8
2. Nationals will win 92.5 games
3. Jose Abreu will hit 30 home runs
4. Adrian Beltre will hit .300
5. Miguel Cabrera will drive in 115 runs
6. Stephen Strasburg will strike out 215 batters
7. Billy Hamilton will steal 65 bases
8. Giancarlo Staton will finish the season with an OPS of .900
9. Clayton Kershaw will post an ERA of 2.35
10. Padres will win 85 games
11. Aroldis Chapman will average 16 K/9
12. Edwin Encarnacion will hit more home runs than Jose Bautista
13. Chris Carter will strike out 190 times
14. Andrew McCutchen will hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases
15. Corey Kluber will post an ERA of 3.00
16. Blue Jays will finish with more wins than the Orioles
17. Kris Bryant will hit more home runs than Ryan Braun
18. Jered Weaver will win more games than Adam Wainwright
19. Cardinals will win 89 games
20. David Price will win 14 games
21. Chris Davis will hit .250
22. Byron Buxton will score 10 runs
23. Madison Bumgarner will post a WHIP of 1.05
24. Victor Martinez will have better OBP than Joey Votto
25. Johnny Cueto will post an ERA of 3.00
26. Anthony Rizzo will drive in more runs than Evan Longoria
27. Felix Hernandez will finish the season with a lower ERA than Chris Sale
28. Paul Goldschmidt will hit 28 homers
29. Jose Altuve will get 190 hits
30. Craig Kimbrel will save 45 games
31. Carlos Gonzalez will play 120 games
32. Wil Myers will lead Padres outfielders in RBIs
33. Justin Verlander will finish the season with an ERA lower than Tim Lincecum
34. Robinson Cano will hit 40 doubles
35. Yasiel Puig will score more runs than Carlos Gomez
36. The Cubs will win more games than the White Sox
37. Jacoby Ellsbury will make the all star team
38. Josh Donaldson will finish the season with a higher WAR than Troy Tulowitzki
39. Albert Pujols will drive in 100 runs
40. Yasmany Tomas will receive more rookie of the year votes than Jorge Soler


PEACE

Not sure why this got folded into the prediction thread, but it was intended to be the over/under bets we do similar to this one: http://philaflava.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... eball+2014" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PEACE

[Myjah]

Uh, I would like to change my AL Central rankings in light of the fact Ervin Santana was just suspended for 80 games....

[chump change]

bumped because I'm drunk

[jredd109]

this thread makes most of us look silly.