Let's cut right to the chase here. I know I'm not alone picking an Astros-Cubs World Series. In fact, based on what I'm hearing on MLB Network Radio and seeing in columns online, I'm in the majority.
But the fact is, I can't pull myself away from picking it — especially since I sit up front in this Astros-Cubs bandwagon. Hell, I might be driving it.
Two years ago, when I picked an Astros-Cubs World Series, it wasn't a very popular pick. Most people had Nationals-Red Sox or Nationals-Indians in 2016, but I was confident in those two young up-and-coming teams.
The Astros were close, making the playoffs a year before anyone thought they would, but fell in a hard-fought series to the Royals. The Cubs did what I thought they could and went to the World Series and beat the Indians.
Last year, it took a lot of thought, but at the end of the day, I went with Astros-Cubs, and once again, I was so close. I had the right World Series Champion and the Cubs just couldn't overcome the Dodgers in the NLCS.
So, that's why it's really tough for me to stick with the pick I've made over and over again, but I'm hard-pressed to find a reason why I shouldn't.
And with that, I'm going to say the Astros win their second World Series this year, taking another epic seven-game series over the Cubs.
This year could be quite the amazing year for Houston, too. I foresee Justin Verlander having an MVP-like season on the mound — for the record, I don't think pitchers should win that award.
I only have Verlander winning the Cy Young, along with Max Scherzer. No risks really here, but it's just how I feel about the races this year.
The NL MVP is a different story. I have Nolan Arenado finally breaking through and winning one, though I do think Bryce Harper will make it tough again for Arenado to shed the "Coors Field effect" woes and win it.
And in the AL, I am going to go with Mike Trout. I was going to go with one of the Yankees — was even considering Gary Sanchez — or one of the Astros, but I think so many votes will be split between Altuve, Correa, Springer, Verlander, Stanton, Judge and Sanchez that it will be easier for a Trout-led playoff team to get recognition.
Boring, but true.
For rookies, yes, I'm going with my two guys. Ronald Acuna has to win. I just don't see any way around it. I personally think he could make a run at what Trout did and go MVP & Rookie, but I'm not going crazy with my predictions. Shohei Ohtani might be a headscratcher after spring training, but I think when the lights turn on and the regular season arrives, we'll see the guy who has always played poorly in spring training come alive. Ohtani gets it. If I'm wrong, my boy Kyle Tucker has a shot if he is able to come up before June.
Here's my breakdown of each division.
The Nationals will own this division at the end of the season, but I believe that they won't pull away until August. The Braves and Phillies will keep this close before the trade deadline, and I can see both teams actually owning first place at times in May and June. The Phillies have a lot of question marks, and even if Scott Kingery is the right-handed Chase Utley, I think they need a few more breakout performances to get into the playoffs. At the end of the year, 81 wins will be a great jump for them. The Braves are higher on my list because they have the Rookie of the Year who will catapult them into the playoff discussion. Solid young pitching will keep them right there with the Nats, but they'll run out of gas as the season wears on.
The Cubs have the rotation and the lineup to win 100-plus games, and if they were in the NL East, I'd give them just that, but the fact is the Brewers are going to be good — they're my second Wild Card team — and the Cardinals will still be competitive. Even the Pirates and Reds should be good enough to not be the doormat that the Marlins will be, and that is why I have the Cubs at 96 wins.
This was tough to pick, but I'm sticking with the Dodgers in the West because to drop them below the Rockies would be a huge drop in wins from a year ago, and I think the Dodgers are still a strong team. The Rockies may be just as strong, if not stronger, so that's why I have this division separated by one win. I would not be surprised one bit to see the Rockies win the West. I have the Diamondbacks taking a step back and missing the playoffs, and the Giants were at 79 wins for me, but I knocked off a few wins because of MadBum's injury. The Padres will be fun to watch, but the pitching isn't there yet and they will wind up with a rather young roster surround Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer come August.
There was one team that made me seriously consider not picking an Astros repeat, and it was the Yankees. They will pitch and mash during the regular season and win the AL East easily in my mind. It will get closer down the stretch, but they'll already be cruising to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Red Sox will be able to set up Chris Sale for the Wild Card. The other three teams will all be selling pieces off in July. Did they ever really have a chance?
The Twins pitching staff is much improved and I think it's enough to say that they can win this division. The Indians have a lot of injury issues that worry me, and I just like the Twins to edge them out for the division. I then have the Indians missing the playoffs by a game. But I want to say this, I really think the White Sox could finish second in this division. Now, it would take a bigger drop by the Indians, but I really think the White Sox could do what the Twins did in two of the last three years and surprise everyone with Wild Card bids. The Royals will continue to move toward a rebuild while the Tigers will battle the Marlins for MLB's worst.
Astros win this division easily. I'm a believer in the Angels and have them as my second Wild Card, so if I'm wrong about that, there's a chance the Astros could win this division by 20 games.
But the fact is, I can't pull myself away from picking it — especially since I sit up front in this Astros-Cubs bandwagon. Hell, I might be driving it.
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| PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS/AWARDS Wild Card Games Rockies over Brewers | Red Sox over Angels Divisional Series Nationals over Dodgers | Cubs over Rockies Yankees over Twins | Astros over Red Sox Championship Series Cubs over Nationals | Astros over Yankees World Series Astros over Cubs, 7 games MVPs Mike Trout & Nolan Arenado Cy Youngs Justin Verlander & Max Scherzer Rookies of the Year Ronald Acuna & Shohei Ohtani |
Two years ago, when I picked an Astros-Cubs World Series, it wasn't a very popular pick. Most people had Nationals-Red Sox or Nationals-Indians in 2016, but I was confident in those two young up-and-coming teams.
The Astros were close, making the playoffs a year before anyone thought they would, but fell in a hard-fought series to the Royals. The Cubs did what I thought they could and went to the World Series and beat the Indians.
Last year, it took a lot of thought, but at the end of the day, I went with Astros-Cubs, and once again, I was so close. I had the right World Series Champion and the Cubs just couldn't overcome the Dodgers in the NLCS.
So, that's why it's really tough for me to stick with the pick I've made over and over again, but I'm hard-pressed to find a reason why I shouldn't.
And with that, I'm going to say the Astros win their second World Series this year, taking another epic seven-game series over the Cubs.
This year could be quite the amazing year for Houston, too. I foresee Justin Verlander having an MVP-like season on the mound — for the record, I don't think pitchers should win that award.
I only have Verlander winning the Cy Young, along with Max Scherzer. No risks really here, but it's just how I feel about the races this year.
The NL MVP is a different story. I have Nolan Arenado finally breaking through and winning one, though I do think Bryce Harper will make it tough again for Arenado to shed the "Coors Field effect" woes and win it.
And in the AL, I am going to go with Mike Trout. I was going to go with one of the Yankees — was even considering Gary Sanchez — or one of the Astros, but I think so many votes will be split between Altuve, Correa, Springer, Verlander, Stanton, Judge and Sanchez that it will be easier for a Trout-led playoff team to get recognition.
Boring, but true.
For rookies, yes, I'm going with my two guys. Ronald Acuna has to win. I just don't see any way around it. I personally think he could make a run at what Trout did and go MVP & Rookie, but I'm not going crazy with my predictions. Shohei Ohtani might be a headscratcher after spring training, but I think when the lights turn on and the regular season arrives, we'll see the guy who has always played poorly in spring training come alive. Ohtani gets it. If I'm wrong, my boy Kyle Tucker has a shot if he is able to come up before June.
Here's my breakdown of each division.
| NL EAST | W | L |
| Nationals | 94 | 68 |
| Braves | 86 | 76 |
| Phillies | 81 | 81 |
| Mets | 72 | 90 |
| Marlins | 56 | 106 |
The Nationals will own this division at the end of the season, but I believe that they won't pull away until August. The Braves and Phillies will keep this close before the trade deadline, and I can see both teams actually owning first place at times in May and June. The Phillies have a lot of question marks, and even if Scott Kingery is the right-handed Chase Utley, I think they need a few more breakout performances to get into the playoffs. At the end of the year, 81 wins will be a great jump for them. The Braves are higher on my list because they have the Rookie of the Year who will catapult them into the playoff discussion. Solid young pitching will keep them right there with the Nats, but they'll run out of gas as the season wears on.
| NL CENTRAL | W | L |
| Cubs | 96 | 66 |
| Brewers | 88 | 74 |
| Cardinals | 85 | 77 |
| Pirates | 74 | 88 |
| Reds | 73 | 89 |
The Cubs have the rotation and the lineup to win 100-plus games, and if they were in the NL East, I'd give them just that, but the fact is the Brewers are going to be good — they're my second Wild Card team — and the Cardinals will still be competitive. Even the Pirates and Reds should be good enough to not be the doormat that the Marlins will be, and that is why I have the Cubs at 96 wins.
| NL WEST | W | L |
| Dodgers | 91 | 71 |
| Rockies | 90 | 72 |
| Diamondbacks | 84 | 78 |
| Giants | 75 | 87 |
| Padres | 71 | 91 |
This was tough to pick, but I'm sticking with the Dodgers in the West because to drop them below the Rockies would be a huge drop in wins from a year ago, and I think the Dodgers are still a strong team. The Rockies may be just as strong, if not stronger, so that's why I have this division separated by one win. I would not be surprised one bit to see the Rockies win the West. I have the Diamondbacks taking a step back and missing the playoffs, and the Giants were at 79 wins for me, but I knocked off a few wins because of MadBum's injury. The Padres will be fun to watch, but the pitching isn't there yet and they will wind up with a rather young roster surround Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer come August.
| AL EAST | W | L |
| Yankees | 96 | 66 |
| Red Sox | 91 | 71 |
| Orioles | 81 | 81 |
| Blue Jays | 80 | 82 |
| Rays | 63 | 99 |
There was one team that made me seriously consider not picking an Astros repeat, and it was the Yankees. They will pitch and mash during the regular season and win the AL East easily in my mind. It will get closer down the stretch, but they'll already be cruising to the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Red Sox will be able to set up Chris Sale for the Wild Card. The other three teams will all be selling pieces off in July. Did they ever really have a chance?
| AL CENTRAL | W | L |
| Twins | 90 | 72 |
| Indians | 88 | 74 |
| White Sox | 81 | 81 |
| Royals | 74 | 88 |
| Tigers | 56 | 106 |
The Twins pitching staff is much improved and I think it's enough to say that they can win this division. The Indians have a lot of injury issues that worry me, and I just like the Twins to edge them out for the division. I then have the Indians missing the playoffs by a game. But I want to say this, I really think the White Sox could finish second in this division. Now, it would take a bigger drop by the Indians, but I really think the White Sox could do what the Twins did in two of the last three years and surprise everyone with Wild Card bids. The Royals will continue to move toward a rebuild while the Tigers will battle the Marlins for MLB's worst.
| AL WEST | W | L |
| Astros | 104 | 58 |
| Angels | 89 | 73 |
| Mariners | 81 | 81 |
| Athletics | 74 | 88 |
| Rangers | 66 | 96 |
Astros win this division easily. I'm a believer in the Angels and have them as my second Wild Card, so if I'm wrong about that, there's a chance the Astros could win this division by 20 games.
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