MLB 2018

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CA Dreamin



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  • #1
  • Posted: 03/25/2018 22:18
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MLB 2018 gets underway on Thursday. I was hoping for an opening day Kershaw vs. Bumgarner matchup but oh well. Anyway, here are some predictions for the season:

AL EAST

The big offseason story in this division was obviously Giancarlo Stanton going to the Yankees, giving them the best lineup in MLB. Expect close to 100 wins. The Red Sox will drop to second in the division, but that isn't to say they will not be a legitimate contender. The addition of J.D. Martinez doesn't add the same firepower as Stanton will for the Yankees, but it's not far behind. That, and if David Price has a rebound year, they will be even better than last year. Around 95 wins and a wild card. Toronto isn't bad and could surprise, but many things will have to go right. The Orioles and Rays are the bottom feeders of this division.

AL CENTRAL

The Indians will simply reload and dominate this division again with close to 100 wins. The Tigers and Royals will suck and lose close to 100. The Twins and White Sox are improving. The White Sox are a few years away, while the Twins offseason signing Lance Lynn shows they're hunger to compete. If Lynn delivers, while their young squad improves, Minnesota has a good chance of another wild card berth.

AL WEST

The defending AL West and World Series Champs should have no problem repeating this division. The Mariners will fall to last place, unfortunately. Somewhere in the middle with 75-85 wins will be the A's, Rangers, and Angels. The A's and Angels made some interesting offseason moves. We'll see if they pay off. The Rangers just need their star players to stay healthy for their win total to improve.

NL EAST

The Washington Nationals, with all their talent and postseason frustration, will win this division yet again. The question is whether or not they can finally succeed in the playoffs. This may be their last chance, given this is Bryce Harper's final year on his contract. The rest of NL East is average-to-awful. The Mets have crappy hitting and are hoping their Thor-DeGrom combo will keep them competitive. The Braves and Marlins are heading towards 95 losses. And that leaves us with the Phillies, who may now be second-best in the division. The acquisitions of Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana are improvements in hitting and starting pitching. And now a full season of Rhys Hoskins...the Phillies should see about a 10-win improvement. But they would need a 20-win improvement to be a playoff contender, which is farfetched at this point.

NL CENTRAL

Replacing Arrieta for the Cubs is Yu Darvish. In other words, about an even exchange. Still, while the Cubs do not seem any better or worse than last year, they're still a solid team capable of 95 wins and a safe bet to win the Central. However, the Brewers will be their main competition. The already-improving Brew Crew made a few major offseason signings. They could take the division if the Cubs regress. At the very least, the Brewers will be wild card contenders. The Cardinals almost always find a way to be over .500 and 2018 will be no different. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will be terrible.

NL WEST

Minus Darvish, The Dodgers are pretty much the same as last year. So, one the best teams in MLB and another division championship are to be expected. Colorado will come in second and take a wild card spot behind ridiculous hitting and an improving pitching staff. Arizona, who will miss Martinez, will fall to third but can still be a wild card team. The Giants were looking like contenders until Madison Bumgarner got injured again. Remember what happened to the Giants last year after he got injured? However, the Giants added some firepower to the offense, which may keep them afloat. If they stay around .500 until June when Bumgarner is scheduled to return, expect a late-season wild card push. San Diego...hahahaha.
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meccalecca
Voice of Reason


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  • #2
  • Posted: 03/26/2018 13:06
  • Post subject: Re: MLB 2018
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StreetSpirit wrote:
The rest of NL East is average-to-awful. The Mets have crappy hitting and are hoping their Thor-DeGrom combo will keep them competitive.


Don't discount my Mets. Health is their greatest enemy. If the rotation is healthy and Conforto and Cespedes actually stay on the field, they'll leave the Nationals little room for error. A very similar Mets team went to the World Series just a few years back.

I do agree however that the Phillies will be sneaky good and surprise a lot of people
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Pronouns



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Age: 23
Location: Antarctica, ya bish
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  • #3
  • Posted: 05/07/2018 19:28
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How bout them Yanks sweeping Charlie Sheen, The all state guy and the Indians? Very Happy
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Mercury
Turn your back on the pay-you-back last call


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  • #4
  • Posted: 05/07/2018 19:50
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How bout them Cards sweeping the cubs with back to back extra inning walk off home runs?!
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Pronouns



Gender: Male
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Location: Antarctica, ya bish
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  • #5
  • Posted: 05/07/2018 22:22
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Mercury wrote:
How bout them Cards sweeping the cubs with back to back extra inning walk off home runs?!

Not gonna lie...the NL Central is terribly underlooked atm...especially the Cardnials
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CA Dreamin



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  • #6
  • Posted: 07/18/2018 02:03
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Halfway through the season, BOS, NYY, and HOU are kicking ass as expected. The Mariners are a big surprise but I don't know how they're pulling it off with Robinson Cano suspended and average pitching. I'm expecting them to slump and the Athletics to have a good 2nd half and take the other wild card.

The National League...who the hell knows? Nobody's standing out from the pack, only a few teams are total crap. There are 10 teams that'll be possibly competing for the playoffs. It'll be interesting to see who makes it. I'm thinking Dodgers, Cubs, and Brewers are locks. PHI, ATL, WAS will be a tight race for the East. Two of those teams plus STL, ARZ, COL, and SF will compete for wild card.
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cestuneblague
Edgy to the Choir



Location: MA/FL

  • #7
  • Posted: 07/18/2018 02:45
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StreetSpirit wrote:
Halfway through the season, BOS, NYY, and HOU are kicking ass as expected. The Mariners are a big surprise but I don't know how they're pulling it off with Robinson Cano suspended and average pitching. I'm expecting them to slump and the Athletics to have a good 2nd half and take the other wild card..



I would raise an objection but considering what's happened the past... 17 years unfortunately it would be all too fitting. Still hoping for the best though.
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CA Dreamin



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  • #8
  • Posted: 07/18/2018 03:55
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CryingGameDahlin wrote:
I would raise an objection but considering what's happened the past... 17 years unfortunately it would be all too fitting. Still hoping for the best though.

I'd like to see the Mariners succeed too, but their current winning formula is unsustainable. They win a lot of 1-run games but get crushed when they lose. They should be around a .500 team based on run differential. The fact the Seattle is 19 games over .500 is phenomenal. But again, it can't last forever. I'd like to see them make the playoffs, maybe make a run for the WS, but the only way I see that happening is if get a good player(s) at the trade deadline while Cano returns in top form in August.
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CA Dreamin



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Location: LA
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  • #9
  • Posted: 10/02/2018 16:39
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It took two additional games yesterday and now it's playoff time!

My predictions for the Wild Card games:

NL Wild Card Game - Cubs over Rockies

Chicago is the better team on paper. They're at home. And they're starting Jon Lester, who is arguably the best postseason pitcher over the past decade besides Bumgarner.

AL Wild Card Game - Yankees over Athletics

The pitching match-up hasn't been announced yet. However it's rumored The Yankees will go with Severino. The A's don't have a pitcher of that caliber. Plus New York has a stronger bullpen
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CA Dreamin



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Location: LA
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  • #10
  • Posted: 10/04/2018 16:19
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The wild card games are over so now the fun really begins.

Division series predictions:

Brewers over Rockies, 3-1

Colorado has a slight edge in hitting. However Milwaukee has far superior pitching, especially since Colorado had to use Freeland in the Wild Card Game, meaning their best pitcher will be limited here. Sorry Romanelli.

Dodgers over Braves, 3-0

I don't think the Braves are that good. They were good enough to take advantage of a weak division, but they're outmatched here against the Dodgers offensively and defensively. Atlanta might win one game.

Red Sox over Yankees, 3-2

This will be a fun, high-scoring series with the one the best rivalries in sports. I can see this series going either way as the two teams are pretty similar. However Chris Sale is only true ace pitcher for either team and I think he will shine in Game 5.

Astros over Indians, 3-2

This will be another great series due to the teams being fairly similar. Unlike the heavy-hitting BOS-NYY series, this one is about dominant starting pitching, with two of the best rotations in MLB. Game 1, Kluber vs. Verlander...I can't wait! Like the BOS-NY series, I can see this series going either way too. But Houston will win thanks to an incredible bullpen to go along with their incredible rotation. Houston has 4 relievers with an ERA under 2, amazing. For Cleveland, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller didn't do very well in 2018, what's up with that?
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