Jeff Spiegel (@JeffSpiegel):
National League division winners
West: Dodgers
Central: Cubs
East: Nationals
American League division winners
West: Mariners
Central: Indians
East: Red Sox
NL playoffs
Wild Card: Mets over Pirates
NLDS: Cubs defeat Mets
NLDS: Dodgers defeat Nationals
NLCS: Dodgers defeat Cubs
AL playoffs
Wild Card: Astros defeat Tigers
ALDS: Astros defeat Indians
ALDS: Red Sox defeat Mariners
ALCS: Red Sox defeat Astros
World Series
Dodgers defeat Red Sox
Awards
NL MVP: Bryce Harper (Nationals)
AL MVP: Manny Machado (Orioles)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
AL Cy Young: Chris Sale (Red Sox)
NL Rookie of the Year: Tyler Glasnow (Pirates)
AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi (Red Sox)
NL Manager of the Year: Torey Lovullo (Diamondbacks)
AL Manager of the Year: Scott Servais (Mariners)
I always say that winning the World Series is like winning the lottery. All you can do is buy tickets (make the playoffs) and hope for the best. And with that in mind, this year is as good as any for the Dodgers to put it all together.
They’re deep, they’re talented, they have the pitching, they’ve been in intense situations before, and they’ve got Clayton Kershaw.
As for the awards and some bold predictions, I like the Mariners to surprise some folks and finally put it together this year, winning the AL West for the first time in what seems like forever. I think the Diamondbacks finish as the second-best team in the NL West, but just miss out on the playoffs.
I believe Bryce Harper puts it together (again) this season and wins an MVP, and Manny Machado stays healthy and keeps doing what he has been.
Eric Avakian (@AvakEric):
National League division winners
West: Dodgers
Central: Cubs
East: Mets
American League division winners
West: Rangers
Central: Indians
East: Red Sox
NL playoffs
Wild Card: Giants defeat Cardinals
NLDS: Cubs defeat Giants
NLDS: Dodgers defeat Mets
NLCS: Dodgers defeat Cubs
AL playoffs
Wild Card: Tigers defeat Blue Jays
ALDS: Indians defeat Tigers
ALDS: Red Sox defeat Rangers
ALCS: Red Sox defeat Indians
World Series
Dodgers defeat Red Sox
Awards
NL MVP: Corey Seager (Dodgers)
AL MVP: Mookie Betts (Red Sox)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander (Tigers)
NL Rookie of the Year: Dansby Swanson (Braves)
AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi (Red Sox)
NL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon (Cubs)
AL Manager of the Year: John Farrell (Red Sox)
The Dodgers are poised for another strong season and their fifth consecutive NL West title, and will narrowly beat out the Giants by a few games. The Giants will reach the Wild Card round thanks to a phenomenal season from Buster Posey and the dominant Madison Bumgarner.
The Nationals have the advantage to repeat in the NL East thanks to their offense, but I don’t believe they will get past the healthy pitching staff of the Mets. The Mets have enough offense to win some games, and a healthy 2017 pitching staff gives them the edge.
The Cubs face the easiest path to a division title, with most of their World Series team returning for a repeat. Their premier offense sometimes overshadows their strong starting rotation, and I expect another double-digit divisional win.
The Rangers starting rotation is slated for a strong rebound in 2017, as healthy seasons from Yu Darvish, Cole Hamels and Tyson Ross can form quite a top three. Carlos Gomez, Rougned Odor, Jonathan Lucroy and Mike Napoli headline a strong offensive unit, which should have no trouble providing run support.
The acquisition of Chris Sale really lines up the rotation of the Red Sox, with the pressure of being an ace lifted off David Price’s shoulders. Sale seems to love the Boston environment, proving to be the top southpaw in the American League.
Mookie Betts, Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley Jr. seem to strongly represent the future of Boston baseball, in a division that has tremendously upgraded.
The Indians made the biggest offensive addition when they signed Edwin Encarnacion, adding to the dimension of a young, hungry team. Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar seem anxious to get back on the mound. The Indians will have to fight off the resilient Kansas City Royals and offensively gifted Tigers with their pitching depth.
The National League MVP seems to be an open race, with Corey Seager, Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado leading the charge. Unfortunately for Arenado, the Rockies lack of wins will likely eliminate him from contention, while only a superb season would validate Bryant getting the repeat win.
While many expect Harper to bounce back after a disastrous 2016, I expect Seager to demonstrate there is no such thing as a sophomore slump for one of MLB’s best players.
The Red Sox are poised to dominate both offensively and pitching wise in 2016. Mookie Betts finished 45 points behind Mike Trout last season in the AL MVP race, but is only growing and evolving with his game at 24 years old and should take another step in the right direction.
Is there any more we could say as to why Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher on the planet? If Kershaw wasn’t limited by injury in 2016, he, his unheard of 15.64 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.69 ERA would have ran away with the award. If Kershaw can stay healthy, the he doesn’t face much opposition toward his fourth Cy Young Award.
Justin Verlander is my pick to secure the AL Cy Young due to his professionalism and ability to pitch out of jams. He led the AL in strikeouts in 2016 and enters 2017 with a reformed arsenal and burst of energy.
During his 34 games played last season, Benintendi hit .295/.359/.476. He has secured the left field job for the Red Sox and is poised to runaway with the award.
Dansby Swanson has had an interesting beginning to his Major League career, after being dealt by the Arizona Diamondbacks in one of the more questionable trades of the decade. Swanson headlines the revamped 2017 Braves roster and will have a full season to dominate NL pitching.
Joe Maddon lost out to Dave Roberts for the 2016 NL Manager of the Year Award, but enters a 2017 season in a different standing. Fresh off of the illustrious World Series win, Maddon and his team will cruise to another division title, earning him the award he probably could have won last season.
John Farrell seems like a breakout choice to be named 2017 AL Manager of the Year, with a fresh outlook entering this season. His young core has another season under their belt, while the pitching staff got a huge upgrade in Sale. If this team can stay healthy, their win total alone may be enough to earn him the award.
