As we close the book on the month of April, the time has come to update predictions and try to figure out the confusing puzzle that is Major League Baseball.
First, is an updated prediction of divisional rankings starting in the American League.
The Red Sox’s are off to a blazing hot start to being the season. They currently have the most wins in all of baseball and are dominating in every aspect of the game. They have the seventh best pitching staff in baseball with a combined ERA of 3.58. They have also struck out the second most men in the entire league.
The Orioles are also playing very well this season as they have a record over .500 and are looking to continue at their torrid pace. The most surprising team of all in this division has been the New York Yankees. With Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira on the DL most thought that they Yankees would struggle early. The opposite has happened as Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner have both stepped up big time.
The most disappointing team in the AL East has to go to the Toronto Blue Jays. After all the players they signed, most people expected them to not be at the bottom of the division. The bats were silent for the first two weeks of the season but have slowly progressed. R.A. Dickey has been a huge disappointment as well. I think this team will start to perform better but I don’t think they have the team to take the division.
Every single baseball fan should know by now that the Detroit Tigers will be winning this division. Yes, the Kansas City Royals are playing well but they seem to be too young to keep this pace up for the entire 162 game season. As for the Indians, I think they will start scoring more runs, once Bourn is off of the DL.
The Chicago White Sox are playing very poor, which is surprising because most “experts” predicted them to be the number two team in the Central. The surprise team of the Central has to be to the Twins who aren’t playing phenomenal but are playing better than expected. They are only .500 but when you look up and down their lineup you would expect this record to be a whole lot worse.
This is arguably the best division in the American League; with the Athletics, Rangers and Angels as all potential playoff teams. The Athletics are continuing what they started last year, hitting home run after home run. They just recently won a marathon game that lasted 19 innings and pulled out the win. They are looking like the best team in the American League.
The Angels on the other hand are struggling. They put themselves in this situation due to the huge amount of money they have been spending in free agency each year. They are expected to win games and when they don’t win they are scrutinized. When they win it is not impressive because everyone expects this to happen. They are, how do I put this... Between a rock and a hard place.
It looks like it will be another long season for the Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are at least putting up big home run numbers but most of the starting pitching is rugged and the bullpen is below average.
AL MVP: Adam Jones
AL Cy Young: Yu Darvish
AL ROY: Jurickson Profar
AL Coach of the Year: Bob Melvin
The Atlanta Braves have been dominating the NL East and have only lost two games within the division. They are 5-1 versus the Washington Nationals and received their only other loss to Cliff Lee, when he pitched a gem. Most people expected the Nationals to run away with this division but the Braves have other plans. It is still very early in the year but the Atlanta Braves don’t look like they are going anywhere soon.
The New York Mets on the other hand are doing a lot better than firstly anticipated, in large part to Matt Harvey. This guy has been dominating the entire year and has an ERA of 1.56. He also remains undefeated at a 4-0 mark. On the other hand, you have the Miami Marlins who will be struggling all year.
The Reds started the year on a bit of a sour note but have turned it up lately. They are only one game over .500 at the moment but have a spectacular record at home. (12-4) The Cardinals have been playing fairly well, also. Lance Lynn is a perfect 5-0 to this point as well.
The other surprise of the Central is how well the Brewers have played, after starting the season 2-8. They are now 14-12 and recently had a nine game winning streak. The Cubs on the other hand are struggling mightily. They have one of the worst bullpens in all of baseball, and don’t have an option for a new closer. It will be another long year for the Cubbies.
When it comes to the West, the Rockies have been the surprise team. Car-Go and Tulo have been stroking the ball and this team is almost untouchable at home. The Dodgers on the other hand have been under performing but are still sitting at the .500 mark. Once they get Zack Greinke back they should start taking off and taking a run at this division.
Don’t forget about the D’backs either. They are one game back to the Rockies and are even with the G-men in the standings. But above all else is what this Rockies team has done. If they can stay healthy they could surprise a lot of people and take a run at the division or a wild card spot at least.
NL MVP: Buster Posey
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw
NL ROY: Evan Gattis
NL Coach of the Year: Dusty Baker
American League Championship Series
Detroit Tigers over Oakland Athletics in six
National League Championship Series
Atlanta Braves over Washington Nationals in seven
World Series
Atlanta Braves over Detroit Tigers in 7