As promised, here are my MLB predictions for the 2020 season.
In the AL East, I like the New York Yankees this year. After losing in the ALCS to the Asteriks last year, the Yankees casually went ahead and signed arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Gerrit Cole. Their lineup is absolutely stacked and their bullpen is the in my opinion the best in baseball. The Rays will also be very competitive in this division. I have the Rays coming in a few games shy of the Yankees and suited for a wild card spot.
In the AL Central, I think it’s easy to say that the Twins will repeat as division champs especially after adding former MVP, Josh Donaldson and two quality starters in Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill but I’m actually going to take the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox lineup is absolutely juiced. There is not any weak spot in their lineup. Don’t get me wrong, I feel the same way about the Twins lineup but I’m not just going to take the favorite in every division. They have some solid young arms in their rotation as well. I really like the value here with the White Sox winning the division.
In the AL West, I like the Los Angeles Angels. I know it has been time for the A’s to finally take this division from the Asteriks for a long time now but I think with a healthy Shohei Ohtani, and the additions of Anthony Rendon, Julio Teheran, and Dylan Bundy, this Angels team may have surpassed the A’s and Asteriks. However, I expect this division to be very tight among those three teams.
My two wild cards in the AL are the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics. These two teams are very similar in that they are both small market teams with no big names but are just very well rounded. Neither team has a big weakness. This wild card game should be very exciting.
In the NL East, I like the Atlanta Braves to win the division title once again. I expect Ronald Acuña to break out even more than he did last year and the addition of Marcell Ozuna to their lineup and Will Harris to their bullpen was huge. I expect the Nationals and Mets to trail not to far behind the Braves.
In the NL Central, I like the Cincinnati Reds to win the division for the first time since 2012. The Reds are my sleeper team for the entire MLB. Mike Moustakas and Nicholas Castellanos were excellent additions to this Reds lineup and their pitching staff is right up their with the best; no huge names but three studs in Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Trevor Bauer. The Cardinals and Brewers will only be a few games back each with hopes of earning a wild card.
In the NL West, I can’t find a reason not to pick the Dodgers here. They added Mookie Betts to an already ridiculous lineup and their pitching staff is top notch as always. Highly touted prospect, Gavin Lux is also supposed to start at second base this year. On paper, they are the best team in the league.
My two wild cards in the NL are the Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks. Although the defending World Series Champions lost a couple big pieces to there team, they did add a couple good players such as Starlin Castro and Eric Thames who could fill in nicely. Their starting rotation is also still terrific. I know not many people are expecting the Dbacks to make the playoffs. However, I find them in here because I think they can beat up on the three other teams in their division not named the Dodgers. With newly acquired ace, Madison Bumgarner, I think the Dbacks squeeze in as the fifth team.
AL Wild Card
Rays vs. Athletics —> Rays Advance
NL Wild Card
Nationals vs. Diamondbacks —> Nationals advance
ALDS
Yankees vs. Rays —> Yankees in 5
White Sox vs. Angels —> Angels in 5
NLDS
Dodgers vs. Nationals —> Dodgers in 4
Braves vs. Reds —> Reds in 5
ALCS
Yankees vs. Angels —> Yankees in 5
NLCS
Dodgers vs. Reds —> Reds in 6
World Series
Yankees vs. Reds —> Yankees in 5
World Series MVP
Aaron Judge
AL MVP —> Aaron Judge
Finalists —> Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout
NL MVP —> Ronald Acuña Jr.
Finalists —> Juan Soto and Cody Bellinger
AL Cy Young —> Gerrit Cole
Finalists —> Justin Verlander and Charlie Morton
NL Cy Young —> Luis Castillo
Finalists —> Walker Buehler and Jacob deGrom
AL Rookie of the Year —> Jesus Luzardo
Finalists —> Luis Robert and Evan White
NL Rookie of the Year —> Gavin Lux
Finalists —> Carter Kieboom and Dylan Carlson
AL Comeback Player of the Year —> Miguel Andújar
Finalists —> Salvador Perez and Corey Kluber
NL Comeback Player of the Year —> Didi Gregorious
Finalists —> Yoenis Céspedes and Craig Kimbrel
AL Manager of the Year —> Joe Maddon (Angels)
Finalists —> Rick Renteria (White Sox) and Aaron Boone (Yankees)
NL Manager of the Year —> David Bell (Reds)
Finalists —> Brian Snitker (Braves) and Torrey Lovullo (Diamondbacks)
Hope you guys enjoyed. I can't wait for the season to get under way tomorrow. I like the two favorites in the Yankees and Dodgers to win.
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