I know, I know…this is over a week late but there are 162 games. I think it’s ok to post these #DrePredictions a week late. And besides, I’m still buzzing from the blackout for the Buccos on Opening Day! Yes, I was in attendance as I was not missing the return of the prodigal son in Andrew McCutchen. I am unbelievably excited about this year as we’ve already seen so much progress in the game of baseball with these rule changes. The games are incredibly quick which was more than needed. Offense is up and pitchers have adjusted wonderfully for the most part. In case you missed it, the reigning NL Cy Young in Sandy Alcantara threw a complete game in less than 2 hours last week. Basically, if you hate the rule changes, you’re a scrub. I heard Jeff Passan put the rule changes in perspective saying that the game has sped up to eliminate the down time. In a full 162 game season, we’ve gained on average of 3.5 days of our lives back watching the game of baseball. That is an insane statistic and almost sickens me to the point where I am questioning why these rules didn’t exist before. I hate him but you have to tip your hat to Rob Manfred on this one.
NL East
- Atlanta Braves
- New York Mets
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Florida Marlins
- Washington Nationals
NL Central
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Cincinnati Reds
- Chicago Cubs
NL West
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Colorado Rockies
AL East
- Toronto Blue Jays
- New York Yankees
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Baltimore Orioles
- Boston Red Sox
AL Central
- Cleveland Guardians
- Chicago White Sox
- Minnesota Twins
- Kansas City Royals
- Detroit Tigers
AL West
- Seattle Mariners
- Houston Astros
- Texas Rangers
- Los Angeles Angels
- Oakland Athletics
NL Wild Card
- (3) Braves over (6) Phillies
- (5) Padres over (4) Mets
AL Wild Card
- (3) Mariners over (6) White Sox
- (5) Astros over (4) Yankees
NLDS
- (5) Padres over (1) Dodgers
- (2) Cardinals over (3) Braves
ALDS
- (1) Guardians over (5) Astros
- (2) Blue Jays over (3) Mariners
NLCS
- (5) Padres over (2) Cardinals
ALCS
- (2) Blue Jays over (1) Guardians
World Series
- Blue Jays over Padres in 6
MLB Awards
- AL MVP: Vlad Guerrero Jr.
- NL MVP: Juan Soto
- AL Cy Young: Shohei Ohtani
- NL Cy Young: Spencer Strider
- AL ROY: Anthony Volpe
- NL ROY: Jordan Walker
- AL Manager of the Year: Terry Francona
- NL Manager of the Year: Rob Thomson
Bold predictions (Pirates related)
- Oneil Cruz goes 20/20 somehow after missing over half the year. This injury is just such a damper on a promising start for this team. Come back soon, king!
- Mitch Keller and Roansy Contreras both have ERAs under 3.40
- Ke’Bryan Hayes wins the Gold Glove
- Final Record: 74-88 (somehow)
Bold Predictions (MLB)
- Home Run leader in both leagues will be Vlad Guerrero Jr. It’s why I actually have him as the MVP. He had 48 in 2021 and took a big step back in 2022 with 32. He has the pop to hit 50+.
- Shohei Ohtani will be traded at the deadline. People who read this are most likely Pirates followers. They need to understand that the Angels are a worse franchise. Yeah our owner doesn’t spend money. The Angels have 2 generational players and can’t even make the playoffs. One of them is an MVP and has Cy Young caliber stuff. His contract this year is going to be an MLB record of at least 500 million. If the Angels are out of it like I believe they will be, the package of players they could get for Ohtani would clear an entire farm system.
- Talks of the A’s relocating to Vegas are gonna pick up steam and quickly. It’s sad to see Oakland lose the Raiders, but they refuse to invest in a new stadium. The Coliseum is a shit hole and no team should have to play there anymore. Talk about cheap!
- 80 stolen bases will be eclipsed this year by a player. I bet you’re wondering why this is bold. The highest stolen base total this millennium is 78 by Jose Reyes in 2007. The next highest is 70 by Jacoby Ellsbury and Scott Podsednik in 2009 and 2004 respectfully. With the new rules of 2 pickoffs per batter and the larger bases, we’ve already seen the increase in attempts. There is a ton of speed on the base paths in MLB and managers are letting those guys fly!
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