2015 MLB Predictions
Apr 2, 2015 12:53:15 GMT -5
Post by Brian (Blue Jays GM) on Apr 2, 2015 12:53:15 GMT -5
Reviving my favorite annual discussion thread.
Here's my predictions:
AL MVP - Jose Bautista. It's tough not to pick Mike Trout, but I think taking a team to the playoffs is the big difference in this race and Joey Bats gets his team a division title in my book while Trout and the Angels miss out on October. Jose Abreu, Felix Hernandez, and Adam Jones round out the top 5.
NL MVP - Kris Bryant. This might be my craziest prediction ever, but I think this guy will be good enough to win ROY and MVP this year, even missing the first couple weeks of the season. Other top contenders will include the usual suspects McCutchen, Stanton, Kershaw, and Rendon.
AL CY - Chris Sale. This guy has been among the very best in the AL for years, would've been a finalist for the award last year but was held back by time lost to the DL. Expect strong competition from Felix Hernandez, David Price, and Royals closer Greg Holland!
NL CY - Max Scherzer. It's tough to pick against Clayton Kershaw, and I wanted to pick him, but the switch to the NL where he won't face the DH, he'll face weaker overall offensive talent, and will likely increase his strikeout totals push Scherzer to the top of my NL list for this season. My darkhorse for this race is the Cubs ace, and no I don't mean FA acquisition Jon Lester, I mean breakout star Jake Arrieta.
AL ROY - Devon Travis. 6 of the Blue Jays top 8 prospects made the team out of spring training so you have to like their odds at having the ROY this year, and I'm taking the everyday player who I think will get the most opportunities to prove himself and stick for the whole year (Daniel Norris was my other real Jays contender). Blake Swihart of the Red Sox and Carlos Rodon of the White Sox will also see big chunks of time in the majors, but the big prospects rarely win this award.
NL ROY - I already tipped my hand on this, it's Kris Bryant. The Cubs could have a number of contenders for this category, but Bryant is the true franchise bat in the heart of the order. Other solid rookies in the NL will include Steven Matz, Michael Lorenzen, Jose Peraza, and of course Joc Pederson.
NL surprise team - Can you tell I like the Cubs? They're young and loaded with talent on the hitting side, they don't even have spots for all the talented kids they have. But there's more, Jake Arrieta had a fantastic 2014 and will build on that under the mentoring of veteran co-ace Jon Lester. Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammell will put up solid numbers to fill out a formidable playoff-bound staff. This team is going to be a lot of fun to watch this summer as they turn the NL Central upside down and take the top spot.
AL surprise team - It's the Toronto Blue Jays. My favorite truth in baseball for several years has been where Russell Martin goes, a strong pitching staff and a playoff spot are sure to follow. No doubt my favorite signing in all of free agency was Martin to the Jays to mentor a talented pitching staff that includes rookies Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez, successful veterans RA Dickey and Mark Buehrle, and the very underrated opening day starter Drew Hutchison. Even without Marcus Stroman, this rotation will be very strong. To further bolster this team, they traded for an MVP candidate in Josh Donaldson, who I think gives this team the best trio of power bats at the heart of the order of any team in the game (Bautista, Donaldson, and Edwin Encarnacion). Alex Anthopoulos has done a masterful job building a contender while the rest of the division rebuilt and retooled.
Playoffs:
NL WC Game: New York Mets defeat San Diego Padres
NL Div Series: Washington Nationals defeat New York Mets
Chicago Cubs defeat Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Champ Series: Washington Nationals defeat Chicago Cubs
AL WC Game: Boston Red Sox defeat Cleveland Indians
AL Div Series: Seattle Mariners defeat Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays defeat Chicago White Sox
AL Champ Series: Seattle Mariners defeat Toronto Blue Jays
World Series: Seattle Mariners defeat Washington Nationals in 7 games
Pitching wins championships, and these are the best pitching staffs in their respective leagues. King Felix and the Mariners staff finally have the offensive pieces they need in front of them to win it all, with Nelson Cruz avenging his 2 WS losses with the Rangers by taking home World Series MVP honors.
Here's my predictions:
AL MVP - Jose Bautista. It's tough not to pick Mike Trout, but I think taking a team to the playoffs is the big difference in this race and Joey Bats gets his team a division title in my book while Trout and the Angels miss out on October. Jose Abreu, Felix Hernandez, and Adam Jones round out the top 5.
NL MVP - Kris Bryant. This might be my craziest prediction ever, but I think this guy will be good enough to win ROY and MVP this year, even missing the first couple weeks of the season. Other top contenders will include the usual suspects McCutchen, Stanton, Kershaw, and Rendon.
AL CY - Chris Sale. This guy has been among the very best in the AL for years, would've been a finalist for the award last year but was held back by time lost to the DL. Expect strong competition from Felix Hernandez, David Price, and Royals closer Greg Holland!
NL CY - Max Scherzer. It's tough to pick against Clayton Kershaw, and I wanted to pick him, but the switch to the NL where he won't face the DH, he'll face weaker overall offensive talent, and will likely increase his strikeout totals push Scherzer to the top of my NL list for this season. My darkhorse for this race is the Cubs ace, and no I don't mean FA acquisition Jon Lester, I mean breakout star Jake Arrieta.
AL ROY - Devon Travis. 6 of the Blue Jays top 8 prospects made the team out of spring training so you have to like their odds at having the ROY this year, and I'm taking the everyday player who I think will get the most opportunities to prove himself and stick for the whole year (Daniel Norris was my other real Jays contender). Blake Swihart of the Red Sox and Carlos Rodon of the White Sox will also see big chunks of time in the majors, but the big prospects rarely win this award.
NL ROY - I already tipped my hand on this, it's Kris Bryant. The Cubs could have a number of contenders for this category, but Bryant is the true franchise bat in the heart of the order. Other solid rookies in the NL will include Steven Matz, Michael Lorenzen, Jose Peraza, and of course Joc Pederson.
NL surprise team - Can you tell I like the Cubs? They're young and loaded with talent on the hitting side, they don't even have spots for all the talented kids they have. But there's more, Jake Arrieta had a fantastic 2014 and will build on that under the mentoring of veteran co-ace Jon Lester. Kyle Hendricks and Jason Hammell will put up solid numbers to fill out a formidable playoff-bound staff. This team is going to be a lot of fun to watch this summer as they turn the NL Central upside down and take the top spot.
AL surprise team - It's the Toronto Blue Jays. My favorite truth in baseball for several years has been where Russell Martin goes, a strong pitching staff and a playoff spot are sure to follow. No doubt my favorite signing in all of free agency was Martin to the Jays to mentor a talented pitching staff that includes rookies Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez, successful veterans RA Dickey and Mark Buehrle, and the very underrated opening day starter Drew Hutchison. Even without Marcus Stroman, this rotation will be very strong. To further bolster this team, they traded for an MVP candidate in Josh Donaldson, who I think gives this team the best trio of power bats at the heart of the order of any team in the game (Bautista, Donaldson, and Edwin Encarnacion). Alex Anthopoulos has done a masterful job building a contender while the rest of the division rebuilt and retooled.
Playoffs:
NL WC Game: New York Mets defeat San Diego Padres
NL Div Series: Washington Nationals defeat New York Mets
Chicago Cubs defeat Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Champ Series: Washington Nationals defeat Chicago Cubs
AL WC Game: Boston Red Sox defeat Cleveland Indians
AL Div Series: Seattle Mariners defeat Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays defeat Chicago White Sox
AL Champ Series: Seattle Mariners defeat Toronto Blue Jays
World Series: Seattle Mariners defeat Washington Nationals in 7 games
Pitching wins championships, and these are the best pitching staffs in their respective leagues. King Felix and the Mariners staff finally have the offensive pieces they need in front of them to win it all, with Nelson Cruz avenging his 2 WS losses with the Rangers by taking home World Series MVP honors.