MLB Season 2016

[benpaco]

[jepstein]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be as upset tomorrow when Mookie Betts wins AL MVP over Mike Trout as Kate Upton was today, but I'm not 100% sure

[jepstein]

[cestuneblague]

WOOOOHOOOOO! Four-square rawhide is back again! I donno it should be a crazy year, see if the Cubs are a true new dynasty, the Giants of the late 2010s or act like a fifteen year old who just got out of their first kegger and just stumble around awkwardly. Anyways for predictions:



AL West

Mariners (wishful thinking times a thousnad, but they have a legitimate shot this year despite some spring training hiccups, with a brutal middle of the order and solid-enough pitching, and it's just time to get King Felix pitching in the playoffs and end baseball's greatest masochism tango that is being a mariners fan)
Rangers (seem like the Rangers of the 00s- strong lineup up-and-down but suspect pitching after Hamels, Darvis and the backend of the order. On paper they seem volaitle, but they've upended expectations before and while the season is likely to be a bit of a see-saw they're a legimitate contender for a pennant)
Astros (young, so much talent, again it could go either way. Depends a lot on how their pitching (especially the starting rotation) holds up, which is a likely achilees heel on any given night)
Angels (wasting the prime of Mike Trout for another mediocre season. Lackluster pitching and just not enough power around Trout to really be a contender, so they really have to either go the win-now route or seriously considering trading Trout if they don't want to ruin both theirs and his next few seasons).
Athletics (the terrible moves of the past few years are coming back to bite them in the ass, and not in the fun way. Weak order and barely passable pitching probalby signifies another last place finish)

AL Central

Cleveland (not if they clinch the pennant, but when. Possible before the all-star break. Really all they need is their pitching to stay healthy and it's pretty much a cake-walk to october, and possibly another world series berth.)
Detroit (pretty much second place by default. Aging roster that still has a lot of power, but pitching beyond Verlander (especially the bullpen) and statue-esque defense might make it tough to make a consistent run to the playoffs)
Kansas City (Yeah they're just not quite as good as they were during their world series runs, but they've been able to do a lot with a little in the last few seasons so they're still a distant dark-horse candidate for a wild card spot, but I wouldn't bet on it)
Minnesotta (they got some good young talent but just not enough arms to get people out. They'll be better than last year (you can't get much worse) but not remotely a playoff contender even in this weak division)
Chicago White Sox (they went all in the rebuilding, which was very wise in the long run, but it's not going to be fun to watch in 2017).

AL East

Toronto (the lineup isn't quite the murderer's row it's been the past two years but it's still quite potent, and now all of a sudden they have one of the best top-to-bottom starting rotations in the league. The favorites again, though they still have plenty of competition in the always brutal AL East).
Boston (the Price injury put a bit of a sting in what was expected to be an all-in year for another world series run, but if he does come back they def have a legitimate shot at a pennant, with a dynamite rotation and one of the strongest, most complete lineups they've had in a long time- though without Ortiz they don't really have a true clean-up guy anymore.)
Baltimore (they're a tough team to pin-down, and they seem very streaky and voliatle. They seem to have a lot of 1-2 and 12-10 games. But they always seem to be able to contend even when they look suspect on paper, so they have a good shot at making the playoffs again, especially if their young pitchers show some noticeable improvement)
New York (a year to get their youngsters experience, not really a legitimiate contending team, but knowing this is NYC they'll have to find a way to a winning record somehow)
Tampa Bay (weak-noodle lineup but potentially strong pitching, if their young arms bounce back from last year's regressions. Still a likely last-place team in a brutal division)


National League

NL West
Los Angeles (yep they have all the talent in the world with a lineup that's pretty much unchanged from last year's pennant team, but they just never seem toe be able to get over that NLCS hump. Can Kershaw just pitch every 2 games from now on?)
San Francisco (not an even year but I guess that streak was broke in 2016. Same story with the Giants- great pitching but little power in their lineup. Still should be contenders and win a lot of nerve-shattering one-run games)
Colorado (they seem to be getting there, with a lot of young talent finally emerging as reliable everyday players, so who knows it could be their year. As usual all depends if they can prevent fewer runs than the many they are sure to score)
Arizona (pretty much everything went wrong last year so some things have to go right in 2017... right? if their pitching bounces back they could see a greatly improved win-total, but it's never best to rely on pitching in the Arizona desert)
San Diego (could be 2003 Tigers bad. They got some talented prospects who might see some time this year, but with a rotation ace that's at best a fifth-starter on a good rotation and the rest of the pitching staff being only AAA- caliber, it's not going to be a fun year.)


NL Central
Chicago (complacency could be the only problem here. It's a loaded lineup and should be for awhile now. Early favorites for a repeat World Series berth but their brash-youth could end up humbling them in the end)
St Louis (they're always contender seemingly with any roster, but luck wasn't kind to them in the offseason and they are still dealing with the hacking fallout)
Pittsburgh (strong pitching and solid lineup, should be a fine contender for another wild card spot but aren't quite as strong as they were during their 2013-2015 playoff run)
Milwaulkee (they finally have talented young re-inforcements to an aging, struggling roster, so they'll likely have a decent record this year but contending is a long, long shot)
Cincinatti (re-building, but without much top-tier prospects. Gonna be like the late 90s-00s' reds for awhile.)

NL East
Washington (Again all the talent in the world and one of the best managers in the game... but they always seem to trip over their own shoelaces when they get to the big-time. If they can stop being their own worst enemy and Bryce Harper bounces back from a down year they are the Cubs most feared competition for the NL crown)
New York (Pitching, pitching, pitching. If their arms don't break down they have the only legimitate rotation that's capable of knocking down the brutal National and Cub's lineup. Im biased but my favorite for a NLCS upset)
Philedalphia (yeah it's a pretty big dropoff after those two. Philedalphia does seem to be on a rather fast re-buidling track and showed flashes of brilliance last year, so they could at least make things interesting but unlikely to hold a winning record this year, but they're getting there.)
Miami (For all the franchise has been through, this seems to be a stop-and-take-a-breather year for the Marlins)
Atlanta (Although the rotation looks a bit AARP-ish, they def have the best young talent in the game, though not all will see time this year in what is likely to be another season filled with honest losses)


And for World Series predictions, if Im making an educated guess Id go with pitching and put Indians-Mets in the world series, though if Im going with my heart obv Mariners-Mets. Cmon it can happen, maybe around the time of the next Wrens album.

[CA Dreamin]

^^^You could've started an MLB 2017 thread, CGD. It isn't too late to cut and paste this (if you do, cut and paste my reply too.)

Anyway, the Cubs are still the team to beat in the NL despite losing Fowler and Chapman. Barring injury, they should get a full season from Kyle Schwarber who missed all of last year. So I think it'll even out. They'll have the best record in NL again.

However, my home city's team, the Dodgers, could be a more formidable opponent thanks to an even better pitching staff. Behind The Claw, they'll get plenty of quality starts behind Maeda, Hill, and Kazmir. And their bullpen is even stronger now by acquiring Sergio Romo (take that Giants). However, Dodgers hitting is a question mark. We'll see if their young hitters improve. If so, they're a legit World Series contender. If not, they may get shut down in the playoffs as they have the previous two years. Either way, go Dodgers!

The other two big-time contenders in the NL are the Nats and the Mets. It's an odd numbered year, so this is a year the Nats will choke and miss the playoffs, right? It's tough to predict that given how talented their team is. Even if they lose the NL East to the Mets, they should still be a wild card. I have to mention my team; the Phillies will be bad again. Their rotation is improved but they scored the fewest runs in baseball last year, and are mostly relying on young players and prospects to score for them. They could surprise but I think 75 wins seems about right.

The dark horse of the NL will be the Rockies. It's a make-or-break year for them. They got a young inexperienced rotation. But if they can put it together and pitch half as good as their lineup can score runs, watch out.

Yes CGD, the Mariners are ready to take the next step. The Rangers relied on clutch hitting and taking advantage of a weak division last year. That's not gonna work two years in a row. Rangers will drop to 3rd place, and the AL West will be a showdown between Seattle and Houston. I'm predicting whoever loses will be a wild card.

But the two best teams in the AL are Boston and Cleveland. The Tribe picked up Edwin Encarnacion, and their pitchers are back to strength after all the injuries. Mid to high 90s win total for them. Same with the Red Sox, who have one of the best three offenses in baseball. David Price? He won 16 games last year with an ERA of 4. That's how good their lineup is. They can provide enough run support for anybody, including newly acquired Chris Sale, who is as good if not better than Price. Even if Price's injury keeps him out the entire season, I still don't see them losing this division. If Price comes back healthy at some point this season, the Sox will be even better.

The dark horse of the AL is Detriot.