2015 Seasons Predictions Post: Mevs

This has long been one of my favorite traditions on the blog. I predict everything I can, and watch it all catch fire and burn down within a few months. But usually, I hit on something just right. And like a game of golf, that’s what keeps you coming back. That one beautiful wedge shot that lands perfectly on the green. Here’s a look at my 2014 predictions post, with my 2015 predictions listed below.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

EAST
1. Toronto Blue Jays
2. Boston Red Sox*
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. New York Yankees
5. Tampa Bay Rays

CENTRAL
1. Chicago White Sox
2. Detroit Tigers*
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Minnesota Twins

WEST
1. Seattle Mariners
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Houston Astros
4. Oakland Athletics
5. Texas Rangers

NATIONAL LEAGUE

EAST
1. Washington Nationals
2. Miami Marlins*
3. Atlanta Braves
4. New York Mets
5. Philadelphia Phillies

CENTRAL
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
2. Chicago Cubs*
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Milwaukee Brewers

WEST
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. San Diego Padres
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies

*Denotes Wild Card teams

PLAYOFFS

Wild Card Games:
Detroit Tigers over Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs over Miami Marlins

Division Series:
Chicago White Sox over Toronto Blue Jays (Four Games)
Detroit Tigers over Seattle Mariners (Four Games)
Washington Nationals over Chicago Cubs (Three Games)
Los Angeles Dodgers over Pittsburgh Pirates (Five Games)

ALCS / NLCS:
Detroit Tigers over Chicago White Sox (Five Games)
Washington over Los Angeles (Seven Games)

World Series:
Washington Nationals over Detroit Tigers (Six Games)

AL MVP
1. Jose Abreu
2. Robinson Cano
3. Mike Trout

NL MVP
1. Giacarlo Stanton
2. Andrew McCutchen
3. Anthony Rizzo

AL CY YOUNG
1. Felix Hernandez
2. Carlos Carrasco
3. Taijuan Walker

NL CY YOUNG
1. Max Scherzer
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Gerrit Cole

AL Rookie of the Year
1. Dalton Pompey
2. Carlos Rodon
3. Alex Meyer

NL Rookie of the Year
1. Kris Bryant
2. Joc Pederson
3. Noah Syndergaard

AL Comeback Player of the Year
1. Prince Fielder
2. Alex Rodriguez
3. Derek Holland

NL Comeback Player of the Year
1. Joey Votto
2. Matt Harvey
3. Jay Bruce

AL Bold Predictions

1. Taijuan Walker is the Mariners number two starter by season’s end, and a major reason why the Mariners overtake the Angels in the AL West.

2. Miguel Cabrera posts a .320, 33 HR, 110 RBI season with the added protection of Cespedes.

3. Alex Rodriguez is more useful than anyone thinks he’ll be after the long layoff.

4. Jose Abreu leads the American League with 39 home runs and hits over .300, again.

5. In another long season for the Twins, either Oswaldo Arcia or Kennys Vargas pass the 30 home run plateau.

NL Bold Predictions

1. Giancarlo Stanton finishes with 46 home runs and appears to make the first serious push at 50 we’ve seen in the NL for a while.

2. Johnny Cueto and Jay Bruce are traded shortly after the All-Star Game. Cincinnati finishes with under 80 wins and has a new manager in 2016.

3. The St. Louis Cardinals lineup shows their age and a heavy postseason pick favorite by many misses the playoffs altogether. Trevor Rosenthal loses his job as the closer at some point.

4. Anthony Rizzo finishes second in the National League with 38 home runs.

5. Bryce Harper finishes fifth in National League MVP voting with a .285, 28 home run, 95 RBI season.

Other Predictions:

[Hardball Talk] [ESPN SweetSpot] [ESPN Experts Team Predictions] [ESPN Experts Award Predictions] [CBS Sports Eye on Baseball] [Washington Times] [FanGraphs] [MLB.com] [Cleveland Plain Dealer] [Sports Illustrated] [Diamond Hoggers – Corey]