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The 2017 MLB season officially began Sunday with six teams kicking things off, but Opening Day across the majority of stadiums comes Monday. That includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, who host the San Diego Padres, as they begin their quest to end a World Series drought.
The Dodgers’ last time winning the Fall Classic was in 1988 when they won it by defeating the favored Oakland Athletics in five games. Los Angeles overcame a historic number of injuries last season to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive National League West division title.
But the season ended in disappointment. The Dodgers ultimately fell short against the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 NL Championship Series, losing in six games.
The Boston Red Sox, Cubs and Dodgers are among the 2017 World Series favorites. Each team also has players in the early discussions to take home hardware.
Some members of the DodgerBlue.com stuff submitted their 2017 predictions for division winners, the World Series, MVP Awards, and more.
Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand):
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: Nationals defeat Giants
NLDS: Cubs defeat Nationals
NLDS: Dodgers defeat Mets
NLCS: Dodgers defeat Cubs
AL playoffs
Wild Card: Astros defeat Mariners
ALDS: Red Sox defeat Mariners
ALDS: Indians defeat Rangers
ALCS: Red Sox defeat Indians
World Series
Dodgers defeat Red Sox
Awards
NL MVP: Nolan Arenado (Rockies)
AL MVP: Mookie Betts (Red Sox)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
AL Cy Young: Corey Kluber (Indians)
NL Rookie of the Year: Dansby Swanson (Braves)
AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi (Red Sox)
NL Manager of the Year: Terry Collins (Mets)
AL Manager of the Year: AJ Hinch (Astros)
I may be a little biased, but I really believe this is the Dodgers’ year. With Clayton Kershaw hopefully staying healthy, manager Dave Roberts and Corey Seager in their second full seasons, and key free agents back, I think the Dodgers are in a prime position to make a World Series run.
As far as my individual picks, I think the Rockies lineup is deep and with Nolan Arenado right in the middle, I predict he will put up numbers that will be hard to ignore in the MVP voting. Same goes for Mookie Betts and the Red Sox lineup.
For the Cy Young Awards, I went with a throwback to 2014, when Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber both took home a Cy Young. Kershaw is the best pitcher in all of baseball, and I think the way Kluber pitched towards the end of last season, he can return to his 2014 form.
Manager of the Year is a hard award to win two years in a row, so instead of choosing Roberts I elected to go with Terry Collins, as I think the Mets will surprise some people and beat out the Nationals for the NL East crown.
Matt Borelli (@MattDodgerBlue):
National League division winners
West: Dodgers
Central: Cubs
East: Mets
American League division winners
West: Astros
Central: Indians
East: Red Sox
NL playoffs
Wild Card: Nationals defeat Giants
NLDS: Dodgers defeat Nationals (three games)
NLDS: Cubs defeat Mets (five games)
NLCS: Dodgers defeat Cubs (six games)
AL playoffs
Wild Card: Blue Jays defeat Mariners
ALDS: Indians defeat Blue Jays (four games)
ALDS: Red Sox defeat Astros (five games)
ALCS: Indians defeat Red Sox (six games)
World Series
Dodgers defeat Indians (six games)
Awards
NL MVP: Corey Seager (Dodgers)
AL MVP: Mookie Betts (Red Sox)
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)
AL Cy Young: Corey Kluber (Indians)
NL Rookie of the Year: Josh Bell (Pirates)
AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi (Red Sox)
NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black (Rockies)
AL Manager of the Year: Scott Servais (Mariners)
What sophomore slump? After an historic rookie campaign, Corey Seager continues his brilliance by posting a second consecutive seven-plus WAR season and leading the Dodgers to their first World Series championship in 29 years.
Mookie Betts claims his first MVP award after finishing as the runner-up in 2016, posting a 30-30 season with 50+ doubles and Gold Glove-caliber defense.
Completely healthy again, Clayton Kershaw takes home his fourth Cy Young Award after a dominating season in which he sets career-bests in nearly every category. After finishing third in voting last season, Corey Kluber follows up with an even better 2017 campaign, helping the Indians reach the World Series in back-to-back years.
Finishing just shy of an .800 on-base plus slugging percentage last season, Josh Bell thrives with a full-time role in Pittsburgh and lives up to his top prospect-potential. Andrew Benintendi was an offensive force in his brief showing with Boston last season, and continues his tear as their everyday left fielder in 2017.
Bud Black is recognized for a job well done as the Colorado Rockies take a major step forward in 2017, but just miss the playoffs due to a tough NL West division. Scott Servais gets the nod as the Mariners exceed expectations and end their 16-year postseason drought.
CONTINUE READING: More World Series and Awards predictions
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.