Time begins on March 28th, when a new Major League Baseball season starts and all the teams are tied for first place (well except in the AL West where Seattle and Oakland have already played two games in Japan).
Here are my predictions for how the 2019 will come to an end.
NL East
The Phillies aggressive offseason will give them the NL East title, although the Nationals will be neck-and-neck with them over the season. The Braves will regress a little after last season’s division championship. The Mets sadly will continue to lack the offense to support the stellar pitching. And Miami will continue to be mediocre.
Philadelphia
Washington (wild card)
Atlanta
New York
Miami
NL Central
The Cubs will reclaim the NL Central and Milwaukee will capture the wild card. I’m honestly not sure how the rest of the division will shake out, because the Reds and Pirates have the talent to surprise, but then again the Cardinals could be better than 3rd as well.
Chicago
Milwaukee (wild card)
St. Louis
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
NL West
The boring old Dodgers will continue to dominate, while improvements in the Padres will help them snag a distant second place. The Rockies will regress after their 2018 Wild Card season and Arizona and San Francisco will each drop down a notch.
Los Angeles
San Diego
Colorado
Arizona
San Francisco
AL East
The Red Sox won’t win as many games as last season but neither will the Yankees. The Rays, Blue Jays, and Orioles will each be a little bit better than 2018, but the division will still shake out in the same order. Excepting the Orioles, this is probably the strongest division in baseball & its a shame that only 3 teams can make the postseason.
Boston
New York (wild card)
Tampa Bay (wild card)
Toronto
Baltimore
AL Central
Cleveland will once again win the AL Central, largely for lack of competition within the division. I expect the Twins will be the only other team to finish over .500, and the remainder of the division could shake out in any order.
Cleveland
Minnesota
Chicago
Detroit
Kansas City
AL West
The Astros, like the Dodgers, will continue to make the regular season a formality. Oakland may challenge for the Wild Card, but I don’t expect much from the rest of the division.
Houston
Oakland
Los Angeles
Seattle
Texas
WILD CARD PLAYOFFS:
Washington defeats Milwaukee
Tampa Bay defeats New York
DIVISIONAL SERIES:
Houston defeats Tampa Bay
Boston defeats Cleveland
Washington defeat Chicago
Los Angeles defeat Philadelphia
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES:
Boston defeats Houston
Washington defeats Los Angeles
WORLD SERIES:
Somehow the Miracle Mets swoop in and win it all on the 50th anniversary of their first championship!
Panorama of the Mountains 