The MLB season starts today, and the baseball writers here at Back Sports Page make their picks for the coming year.
To every MLB fan out there, happy Opening Day! After another slog of a winter, baseball is officially back, and with it come pundit predictions. We are putting our prognostication skills (or lack thereof) on the line by picking every playoff team and the World Series matchup. Division winners will be listed first, followed by any Wild Card teams.
MLB Picks: AL East
Ben Schneider: Red Sox and Orioles
Jesus Barrera: Red Sox, Orioles, Yankees, and Rays
Joshua Ambroise: Yankees and Red Sox
Nate Powalie: Orioles and Yankees
The best division in baseball is as wide open as ever, with all five teams having a decent chance of reaching the playoffs. None of us expect the Toronto Blue Jays to be there, but they are no slouches, either. The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are both very talented, but their many injuries make the beefed-up Boston Red Sox slight favorites. The Tampa Bay Rays are in a precarious position off the field, but you can’t count them out in games.
MLB Picks: AL Central
Ben Schneider: Tigers
Jesus Barrera: Tigers
Joshua Ambroise: Royals and Tigers
Nate Powalie: Tigers and Guardians
The fight for a title here should be competitive, but we all agree that the Detroit Tigers are good following a stunning playoff chase. The Kansas City Royals bring back a strong rotation and an MVP candidate, while the Cleveland Guardians are always capable of patching together 89 wins with their fearsome bullpen.
MLB Picks: AL West
Ben Schneider: Rangers and Astros
Jesus Barrera: Astros
Joshua Ambroise: Rangers and Astros
Nate Powalie: Rangers and Athletics
I personally think this is the toughest division to pick a winner for. The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros both have strong lineups, but they have more injured starters than healthy ones. Whoever wins will likely have less than 90 wins. None of us expect the Seattle Mariners to play in October despite a great rotation due to a pointless offseason of not improving the lineup. But one other team who usually sits out free agency decided to spend, so maybe the A’s will surprise people.
MLB Picks: NL East
Ben Schneider: Mets, Phillies, and Braves
Jesus Barrera: Braves and Phillies
Joshua Ambroise: Braves, Mets, and Phillies
Nate Powalie: Mets and Phillies
Another talented division with lots of injuries, here there is a clear top three. The New York Mets signed the best player available in OF Juan Soto, while the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves patched some wholes instead of making big splashes. Any of them could take the title while the other two fight for Wild Card berths.
MLB Picks: NL Central
Ben Schneider: Cubs
Jesus Barrera: Brewers
Joshua Ambroise: Brewers and Reds
Nate Powalie: Brewers and Reds
The weakest division in baseball is also open for the taking. The Milwaukee Brewers often have underwhelming offseasons, but they figure out how to win games with lots of role players. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs decided to be aggressive for once by making two separate trades with the Astros for OF Kyle Tucker and RP Ryan Pressly. Plus, the Cincinnati Reds deserve some love as some think their boom-or-bust roster will boom enough this year to earn a postseason spot.
MLB Picks: NL West
Ben Schneider: Dodgers and Diamondbacks
Jesus Barrera: Dodgers, Padres, and Diamondbacks
Joshua Ambroise: Dodgers
Nate Powalie: Dodgers and Padres
There are no doubts whatsoever as to who will win the NL West. The Los Angeles Dodgers are huge favorites overall, let alone in their own division. It is as if putting a super team together is good for preseason projections, or something. The San Diego Padres are trying once again to thread the needle, but this time around they did not trade away a star. On the flip side, the Arizona Diamondbacks pushed past their usual payroll limits by signing the best pitcher available in SP Corbin Burnes. Since the NL East and West are both strong, only one of these divisions can get three teams in, so the Wild Card race should come down to the wire like last season.
World Series Predictions
Ben Schneider: Diamondbacks over Red Sox in 6. Let’s get weird here, as I think the D-Backs will pull off a trade for 1B Vlad Guerrero and ride their few good pitchers to a title. No one in the AL seems like a World Series team to me, but the Sox can pull off another magical run.
Jesus Barrera: Red Sox over Braves in 7. The young talent for the Red Sox finally arrives. They immediately make an impact as they return to October in the biggest way possible.
Josh Ambroise: Yankees over Dodgers in 7 games.
Nate Powalie: Rangers over Mets in 6. The Bruce Bochy every-other-year magic strikes again.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
