Spring training is done. Rosters are now set. Teams are ready to rock and roll. With all that being said, here's our predictions for the 2015 Major League Baseball Season.
AL West
1. Seattle Mariners *
Here's a team who just last year missed the playoffs by one game. Just one game. This year will be a much different story. Kyle Seager, Robinson Canó and Dustin Ackley had powered the offense a season ago. Now you can add in the home run champion from a season ago in the form of Nelson Cruz, who by the way is coming off a 40 home run 108 RBI season last year. I know Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a little more of a hitter friendly park than Safeco Field, but he still adds more of a pop to that batting order. And throw in a solid starting rotation that has guys like Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, and J.A. Happ, it makes for a tough rotation to go against. Seattle will look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001 when they won 116 games.
2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim* (WC)
The Defending AL West champs are going to be right in the thick of things again in 2015. Things may look a little different for the Angels this year, because Howie Kendrick isn't on the club anymore, Josh Rutledge will now be playing 2nd base. Throw in the fact also that Josh Hamilton isn't available at the moment because he has some off the field issues he has to take care of and it makes for some interesting dynamics for this Anaheim team. This team can still hit despite those guys not being there, they do have the AL MVP in the lineup in Mike trout, who may be the best player in the game right now.Even though he is nearing the end of his career, Albert Pujols can still be very productive, he had 28 homers and 105 RBI last year. They have a solid pitiching staff with Jered Weaver, Garrett Richards, C.J. Wilson, Matt Shoemaker, and Andrew Heaney. They are a good team but it won't be enough to overtake Seattle.
3. Oakland Athletics
GM Billy Beane did quite a job rebuilding his baseball club from a season ago. there are only 12 guys left from last years opening day roster that are on the team right now. The teams heavy hitters of Brandon Moss and Josh Donaldson are both no longer in Oakland. So Beane tried to replace that production by bringing in guys like Ike Davis, Brett Lawrie and Billy Butler will need to play to their potential if the offense is going to bounce back. Pitching is going to play a factor for the A's as well. Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir, the teams two aces from last year, are back at the top of the rotation, which is great news for the A's. Its the back end of the rotation, with Jesse Hahn, Drew Pomeranz and Kendall Graveman that have me worried about Oakland. The offense still has some pop to it but not enough to stay alive in this division.
4. Houston Astros
It's been a bit of a rough go for the Astros, who haven't had a winning season since 2008. last year looks like a step in the right direction for the Astros who won 19 more games than they did the year before. This year's club looks a little better than last years did. Chris Carter lead the team in the power department with 37 homers and Jose Altuve was the best hitter in the AL, winning the batting crown. Add in Evan Gattis and Jed Lowrie to this offense and it could lead to a few more wins. Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh and Brett Oberholtzer are going to lead a decent pitching staff that will help Houston Improve.
5. Texas Rangers
Last year was a rough one for the Rangers, as they finished dead last in the AL West. In fact, last year was the worst finish for the Rangers in the West since they finished 4th in 2007. Prince Fielder was hurt last year with the neck injury, limiting him to just 42 games. So having him back and healthy this year will be a big boost to that Rangers lineup. Throw in his pop plus the offensive punch of Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo and Mitch Moreland, you might have some offensive punch to work with. The problem here is going to be the pitching. Yu Darvish will miss the year because he has Tommy John Surgery. Bringing in Yovani Gallardo and Ross Detwiler may provide some stability but it doesn't look like much else for Texas, which is why the Rangers are going to have a rough year again this season.
AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers*
This will be the 5th straight year that the Tigers win the division. Offensive production won't be a problem with this Tigers baseball team. Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez will once again be powering the team. Throw in a good hitter, and very solid defensive outfielder in Yoenis Cespedes, it will make for a good Tigers ballclub. The question marks with Detroit is going to be the pitching staff. Losing Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello will hurt the Tigers, but the trio of David Price, Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander still has a chance to be formidable. The big problem here is again going to be the bullpen. Yes they have a full season of Joakim Soria, but Joe Nathan looked shakey at times last year and don't even get me started with Joba Chamberlain. Still even though this team is getting older, and with so many other teams in the division on the rise heading into this year, it'll be the toughest division to play in but I think Detroit has enough to squeak out another division title.
2. Chicago White Sox* (WC)
One team that really made a splash, and a big one at that, in the offseason was the Chicago White Sox. Here's a club who finished 2nd to last in the Central a year ago, and they're looking to rebuild and try to win now. Jose Abreu and Alexei Ramirez lead the power department for the White Sox last season, both of whom will be counted on to come up big again this year. Now you can add into the mix the pop in the bats from Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera and it gives Chicago something to build off from an offensive perspective. The front end of the pitching rotation is rock solid, being lead by Chris Sale, Jeff Samardzija and John Danks. After that though, its a bit of a toss up. That back of the rotation is the big question mark, the eventual arrival of Carlos Rodon could possibly help sure that up. Till then who knows. They have a decent closer in Dave Robertson and it could give the Sox something to build off of.
3. Cleveland Indians
Last year, the tribe had a sparkling month of August and managed to climb their way back into the playoff race, coming up just short of their goals. The starting rotation in Cleveland of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Gavin Floyd and Danny Salazar is going to be a tough one to go up against. What Cleveland really needs to happen this year is have the offense step up. They did get solid production last year from Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley, but Nick Swisher had a down year a season ago. Swisher played in just 97 games last year, well below what he normally plays in a given season. So this year he has to be able to come back healthy and be productive. Same thing goes for Jason Kipnis too. But adding a decent bat like Brandon Moss will make an impact on this baseball team.
4. Kansas City Royals
Talk about a team really coming out of nowhere. Last year, Kansas City came within a game of beating Detroit for the Division and rode that all the way to an American League Pennant. Despite the fact that they hit thew fewest home runs in the American League, it was speed and overall hitting that got them all the way to the fall classic. What got the Royals to the big dance was defense, base-stealing and a dominant bullpen. What still going to end up hurting the Royals is the lack of offensive punch, which some thought would hurt them last year too. The starting rotation of Yordano Ventura, Jason Vargas, Edinson Volquez, Danny Duffy and Jeremy Guthrie, which makes up a fine rotation. I think, even though he didn't pitch very well late in the season last year, James Shields not being there is going to be felt a bit. Don't get me wrong the Royals are a good team but its just the other teams around them have gotten just that much better.
5. Minnesota Twins
Once again the Twins will be bringing up the rear in this division. Sure Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier will again pack some offensive punch. Sure bringing back Tori Hunter to play right field will be a lift for this Twins franchise. What's going to kill them is their starting rotation. That rotation was the weakest in the entire division. I know Ervin Santana was brought in to help out but it won't do much, the Twins still finish in dead last.
AL East
1. Boston Red Sox*
A rough go of it last year in beantown. Coming off their 2013 World Series title, the Red Sox had a major dropoff, going 72-90. David Ortiz was the only one powering the Boston offense last year, with 34 homers and 104 RBI's. Nobody else hit more than 20 homers or drove in more than 70 runs. This year will be a different year. I know the starting rotation doesn't have a true ace, but their five starters of Rick Porcello, Clay Buchholz, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson and Joe Kelly are more than capable of being able to shut other teams down. Not having a true ace isn't going to kill this Red Sox pitching staff. On Offense, Boston can hang with anybody in the AL this year. Sure they still have Big Papi, even though Orttiz is 39 years old, he can still be productive, we saw that last year. This years club has retooled and has talent around him in the lineup. The additions of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, as well as a full season from Mookie Betts, could give them the highest-scoring offense in the league.
2. Baltimore Orioles
Last years AL East Champions didn't do much this offseason. In fact, the Orioles didn't do ANYTHING this offseason. Hell they lost players. Yes they did bring in Travis Snider and Everth Cabrera, but it wasn;t enough to offset the losses of talented players like Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller. They will get Manny Machado and Matt Wieters back, same thing with Chris Davis. The solid starting rotation of Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman is going to be pretty good. Wqhat may cost the Orioles this season is the fact that they stayed pat over the winter by comparison to other teams in their division. They still have enough talent to squeak out ahead of the Jays in this division
3. Toronto Blue Jays
I can see this team being really on the rise this season, so much so they may even possibly move past the Orioles in the division this season. Toronto has talent on this team that's for sure. From an offensive perspective, the Jays have a solid lineup headed up by ose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes. Now they added more pop to their bats by bringing in Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin. Putting Devon Travis at 2nd base will be an upgrade over last year, that I have no doubt. The starting rotation of Drew Hutchison, R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris has some promise to it. If Norris and Sanchez can pitch up to expectations then it should be alright. The big weakness for the Jays is still there bullpen and from all indications they haven't done much of anything to address the issues, so that could still hold them back this season.
4. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays stumbled badly a season ago, this coming after making the playoffs in 2013 and having a fine year. Leading the charge for the Rays was Evan Longoria, who had 20 homers and 93 RBI, by far the most productive hitter in the Tampa lineup. Rene Rivera is replacing Jose Molina behind the plate. Logan Forsythe was added at second and so was John Jaso as the DH. The biggest problem for Rays is that they don’t have the backup plans to deal with worst-case scenarios effectively. They have an OK rotation that consists of Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, and Nathan Karns. By comparison to the rest of the teams ahead of them in the division, Tampa has real long odds. They'll be luck to finish around 500 this season.
5. New York Yankees
It's surprising to see the Yankees down this far in the division but that's the way it is. They could pass the Rays in the standings depending on how well they. The problem is this division is so weak that any team has an outside chance to walk away with the crown. From an offensive perspective, the Yankees don't have the firepower anywhere close to what they used to have. The top power hitters were McCann and Texiara who each had over 20 homers. But the problem here with the Yankees offense is that they are all a year older and are getting slower. Sure Alex Rodriguez is back in the lineup and they have added Chase Headley to the mix, but even Chase isn’t enough to save an offense that was comfortably below-average last year. The Yankees pitching rotation is nothing to be feared either. Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and Adam Warren do leave a lot to be desired in the Bronx this year. Lets face facts there are too many question marks surrounding a team that doesn't appear to be getting any younger. Sorry but its another year of missing the playoffs in the Bronx.
Cy Young: Chris Sale, White Sox
MVP: Mike Trout, Angels
ALCS: Mariners over Red Sox
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers*
This will mark the 3rd year in a row that the Dodgers will claim the NL West crown. The last two years, they have been ousted by the Cardinals in the playoffs. This year may be a different story. Adrian Gonzalez will once again be counted on to power the offense in LA. Gone are Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and a number of relievers. But they added new pieces to keep on plugging away. Carl Crawford will have a bigger role. Jimmy Rollins is now the new shortstop and Howie Kendrick was brought in to play 2nd base. Throw Yasmani Grandal behind the plate to catch, while Joc Pederson is going to be counted on to hold it down in Center field. Oh and did we mention the fact that they have a hell of a starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu (hurt), Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson make up a pretty good rotation. Sure there are still a few questions that surround the bullpen, but this team is still good enough to take the division.
2. San Diego Padres* (WC)
This is a club, who much like the Chicago White Sox, made a lot of noise in the offseason adding players. San Diego had only one player a year ago drive in more than 50 runs, that being Jedd Gyorko. Now the outfield has totally be retooled, adding in the likes of Justin Upton, Will Myers and Matt Kemp. You can also add in new faces like Derek Norris behind the plate and Will Middlebrooks over at 3rd base. Lets also not forget about the pitching staff that consists of James Shields, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy, Brandon Morrow/Odrisamer Despaigne. Adding a guy like Shields bolsters that staff tremdously, but Shields may not show up in a big game situation when you may really need him to come through, we saw that in the playoffs last season. This team will be vastly improved to the point where they could see postseason baseball for the first time since 2006.
3. San Francisco Giants
It really is hard to go against the defending World Champions, but if history has shown in their last two reigns as world champs, they have missed the playoffs the following years. The infield is basically the same as it was a season ago, with one change in that Casey McGehee is now at 3rd, with Pablo Sandoval now in Boston. Norichika Aoki was brought in to split left field duties with Michael Morse. The offense doesn't scare anybody like some of the other teams so it will be interesting to see what happens in this regards. San Francisco's pitching staff has been one of its strengths, but this year, it looks like a serious enough question to doubt them. Madison Bumgarner is a stud, but Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson are another year older, Matt Cain is a wild card coming back from a pair of surgeries, and Tim Lincecum is a shell of what he once was.
4. Colorado Rockies
Health has been an issue for this baseball team for quite a while. Colorado can just never seem to stay healthy at all. Troy Tulowitzki, Justin Morneau, Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado make a fearsome middle of the order, and they have worthwhile hitters at the top of the order, too. Health again stands to be the issue with this baseball team. One thing that worries me is this pitching staff in Denver. Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Matzek and Eddie Butler make up a poultry pitching staff out in Colorado. Here's the big problem with the Rockies, they're all offense and a team that is all offense, no-pitching won't be a contender. It's as simple as that.
5. Arizona Dimaondbacks
Much like the Rockies, the Diamondbacks have a lack of offense. Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo are the big offensive threats in this lineup, but that's about it. Their offense has a chance to be a plus, but they don't have the pitching to contend. While Josh Collmenter had a nice year last year, he's not an ace. Jeremy Hellickson, Josh Collmenter, Rubby De La Rosa, Chase Anderson and Archie Bradley head up a staff that leave a lot to be desired.
NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals *
I don't know how they manage to do it but year in and year out the Cardinals always find a way to be tops in the division. They had enough talent on offense to stay the course and be in the fight for the title all season long. Then the Cards go out and add Jason Heyward to the mix and the guy can hit. Their batting order is one of the more balanced in all of basebally, which explains why the Cards have missed the playoffs only four times since 2000. They have the offense and they have the pitching. Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, John Lackey, Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez make up an intimidating pitching staff. There are two question marks with the pitching staff. One is the health of Adam Wainwright. He started to faulter a little bit towards the end of last season. St. Louis kept an eye on him during spring training, so he could be good to go. The other question is the stability of Carlos Martinez as the 5th starter, as he hasn't really proven himself yet. Still this team is deep enough to be able to rock and roll over the Central.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates* (WC)
Pittsburgh is coming off back to back playoff years, hoping to make it for the 3rd straight season. What makes the Pirates dangerous is their core players, guys like Josh Harrison, Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen. Not only do they have that solid core in place, the influx of young talent like Gerrit Cole, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco should help offset the loss of Russell Martin will be a big help. To complement that solid batting order, the pitching staff is just as good looking. Its comprised of Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett, ace in waiting Gerrit Cole, Jeff Locke, and Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh is going to have a tough lineup to go against for anybody else in the league.
3. Chicago Cubs
This team is right on the doorstep of finally breaking out of a playoff drought and making it to the next level. The core is in place on the North Side of Chicago. Anthony Rizzo is the anchor of the offense, as he hit 20 homers in 2013 and 32 last year, so he is hands down the big bat in the lineup. So to is star shortstop Starlin Castro, who is a three time all star. Both guys are just 25 years old. Dexter Fowler is a fine leadoff hitter, Jorge Soler is getting set to become a star, and they have depth with the likes of Tommy La Stella and Miguel Montero. That's just the offense, there's pitching to go along with it. The biggest name in that staff is the newly added John Lester, who they forked over #155 million for. He joins a solid staff that includes Jake Arrieta, Travis Wood, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks. This team is going to have blips, that's expected for a very young club. But they are heading in the right direction and are going to be a bigtime threat very, very soon.
4. Milwaukee Brewers
This is a team who seems to be on a slight decline, but have talent on this baseball club. What happened to this Brewers team a year ago is a bit surprising, as they lead the Central from opening day right till August 31st, when they were overtaken by the Cards. Milwaukee has a good offensive lineup, powered by Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun. They have an OK pitching staff, comprised of Kyle Lohse, Matt Garza, Wily Peralta, Mike Fiers and Jimmy Nelson, with Francisco Rodriguez closing games. But K-Rod gave up 14 homers in 68 innings last season, so hopes aren't very high. Then the Brewers traded away mainstay starters Marco Estrada (for Lind) and Yovani Gallardo (for prospects), and they lost key lefty reliever Zach Duke to free agency. There's not too much depth on this team, and the three teams ahead of them in the Division race got better while the Brew Crew didin't do too much.
5. Cincinnati Reds
It was a tough 2014 season for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds offense was hit hard by injuries and overall ineffectiveness from star players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips. Sure Todd Fraser had a good year with 20 homers and 89 RBI, but having him be the only hitter on the team won't cut it this year, not in this division. Cincinnati does have a quality pitching staff that consists of Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Anthony DeSclafani, Jason Marquis and Raisel Iglesias. They still have some guy named Aroldis Chapman closing games for this team, and the guy is very very good when healthy. This Reds team is very capable of winning around 90 games and contending in the division, but based on what happened last year, there isn't much hope for the Reds this season.
NL East
1. Washington Nationals*
Here we have probably the most balanced team in all of the National League, outside of maybe the Dodgers. What is going to carry this baseball has that nobody else can bolster is a dominate starting rotation. This rotation consists of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister. How often do you get a strikeout king ion Strasberg and a pair of twenty game winners in Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez? Yes Washington has the best ipitching staff, on paper at least, in the league. Offensively, a healthy season from Ryan Zimmerman would provide a shot in the arm, and it still seems like only a matter of time before Bryce Harper turns in a monster year. They're an easy pick to win the division here.
2. Miami Marlins
Here's a surprise team this year in the East. Miami had a good run last year in the 2nd half before falling just short. is still THE threat in this lineup, finishing last year with 37 homers, most of them moon shots, and 105 RBI before he got hurt when he was hit by a pitch. Stanton, when healthy, is worth every penny of the 14-year, $325-million contract he got over the winter. But with Miami, there is more to really like about this baseball team. They added depth in the outfield, with Marcell Ozuna in center and Gold Glove winner Christian Yelich in left. Michael Morse, Dee Gordon, Martin Prado and Ichiro Suzuki were added to the mix offensively. Throw in the fact that they have a decent pitching staff with the likes of Henderson Alvarez, Jarred Cosart, Mat Latos, Dan Haren and Tom Koehler, this could be a good team. And the pitching staff doesn't even have their best pitcher in Jose Fernandez. Imagine how much better they will be with him back.
3. New York Mets
This team drives me crazy but it will be an improved baseball team with a little bit of hope. This pitching staff in Queens gives Mets fans a lot of hope. Bartolo Colon, a returning Matt Harvey, Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee make up a pretty damn good pitching staff. Not having Zach Wheeler around could be a bit of a problem, as Wheeler is done for the year with the same Tommy John Surgery that cost the Mets Harvey last year. Still I think this pitching staff may be the only one in the division that can stay on par with that of Washington, or come close to it anyway. What has me worried with the Mets is the offense. yes they added Michael Cuddyer but I don't know if its going to be enough. There are quite a few question marks with this team. Will David Wright return to form? Can Michael Cuddyer stay healthy? Is Wilmer Flores the answer at shortstop? They still look to be a year away at this point, but they could surprise.
4. Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves had the second-worst offense in baseball last season, and after trading off the likes of Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis, things figure to get worse before they get better. The trio of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood and Shelby Miller should anchor the rotation for years to come, and their wheelings and dealings this winter brought in a ton of young talent, but 2015 could be a long year.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
At one point in the not-too-distant past, having Ryan Howard at first base and Chase Utley at second was a decided advantage. But oh how the landscape has changed in Philadelphia. The Phillies went from 2003-12 without a losing season. Now, with an aging and injured core, they are coming off back-to-back 89-loss seasons – with the very realistic possibility that this year will be worse.
Cy Young: CVlayton Kershaw, Dodgers
MVP: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
NLCS: Dodgers over Nationals
Finally World Series: Dodgers over Mariners
There you have it our predictions for the 2015 Major League Baseball Season!
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