April 1st is Holy Thursday, and if I can be a little bit sacrilege, I think it will be all the more holy by coinciding with Major League Baseball Opening Day. I think this will be an exciting season and I look forward to watching lots of games and maybe, just maybe, being able to attend a game before the season ends. Here are my predictions for how the season will shake out:
NL EAST
The NL East will be one of the more competitive divisions. The Mets have had top-notch pitching for several seasons and new owner Steve Cohen has given them support with a beefed-up lineup and bullpen. They’ll face strong competition from Atlanta but both teams should easily sew up postseason spots. Washington and Philadelphia will be good but not good enough. Miami made a surprising playoff appearance in a COVID-shortened 2020 season but will revert to the mean this year.
- New York Mets
- Atlanta Braves (wild card)
- Washington Nationals
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Miami Markins
NL CENTRAL
The NL Central remains the most mediocre division. I have a good feeling about Milwaukee winning their first division title since 2018, but St. Louis is always competitive and can’t be counted out. The rest of the division have lots of deficiencies to work through and can shake out in any order.
- Milwaukee Brewers
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Chicago Cubs
- Cincinnati Reds
- Pittsburgh Pirates
NL WEST
San Diego was already a contender and made themselves the favorite by having arguably the best offseason in MLB. The Dodgers will see a dropoff from their World Series championship season but should have no problem securing a postseason spot. The rest of the division will be competing to see who is the least mediocre.
- San Diego Padres
- Los Angeles Dodgers (wild card)
- San Francisco Giants
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Colorado Rockies
AL EAST
Except for Baltimore, the AL East is always a strong division and this season will be no exception. Toronto is stacked after a productive offseason and should win their first division title since 2015, with strong competition from 2020 World Series runners up, Tampa Bay. The Yankees have relied on their one-dimensional approach of mashing homers in their tiny ballpark to secure postseason spots (only to suffer humiliating 16-1 losses and walkoffs off Aroldis Chapman) will find it harder to compete against strengthened opposition including a rebounding Red Sox.
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Tampa Bay Rays (wild card)
- Boston Red Sox
- New York Yankees
- Baltimore Orioles
AL CENTRAL
The White Sox appear poised to snag their first division title since 2008 after a strong offseason. They will have to fend off a highly-competitive Minnesota squad. The rest of the division will shake out on how well their young and up-and-coming players will perform.
- Chicago White Sox
- Minnesota Twins (wild card)
- Kansas City Royals
- Detroit Tigers
- Cleveland Indians
AL WEST
I feel that this is the hardest division to predict but Oakland feels like a safe pick to win it. The Angels have the talent that just hasn’t clicked may find this to be their lucky year while Seattle has a chance to succeed with a young roster. Houston lost key players in the offseason and will see their postseason streak come to end.
- Oakland Athletics
- Los Angeles Angels
- Seattle Mariners
- Houston Astros
- Texas Rangers
Past Predictions for Previous Seasons (If You Want to Check My Work):
Panorama of the Mountains 