Here it goes.
The 2019 Jargon MLB Preview.
Last year was a so-so year for me. I had three out of five AL playoff teams — had Twins over Indians, but it appears I may have been a year early on that one — and I had four of five NL playoff teams. The only one I had wrong was the Nationals over the Braves in the NL East, but I mean, who didn't have that?
I also take a bit of pride in getting the AL and NL Rookie of the Year selections right. I've never done that before. ... Now if only I didn't trade both of them midseason last year in fantasy baseball...
So this year, I'm betting I'm going to be way wrong here. The American League is a bit more predictable at this point, but I can make a case right now for 11 teams making the playoffs in the National League. I'm not just excited to watch my Phillies this year, I'm excited to see the daily battles in the NL East and NL Central. Four teams in each have legit shots at the playoffs, and I'll give the Pirates an outside chance, but as you'll see below, I'm not picking them to finish in a great spot.
For my World Series, this is interesting how I got to this point.
Over the last couple of years, I've found myself watching more and more Astros games. One, they're a blast to watch. Two, I have had several Astros on my fantasy team and I'm a big fan of Jose Altuve. Three, Harry Kalas' son Todd is the everyday play-by-play guy for the Astros. And four, the Phillies have been not that fun to watch.
I expect No. 4 to change this year, but I wasn't sure how far I'd take it when sitting down to write this Jargon.
Once I had the win totals in and the bracket set, it just worked out that matchup-wise, I like a Phillies-Astros World Series.
Yes, sounds crazy, but why not? It's very feasible — or shall I say to the ire of my wife, pheasible.
I do have the Astros winning the series — let's call it in six — but nevertheless, National League MVP Bryce Harper will lead the way and defeat his former squad in the NLCS. Can you imagine that dramatic seven-game series? Nats and Phillies in October for the first time ever.
This is going to be awesome. I know predictions are what they are, but let's take a second to just imagine that I am right. (Sounds so nice to say.)
The hype around that series will be incredible. It will be to the level of Red Sox-Yankees meeting in the postseason.
Especially after the Nationals win the division by one game. That's right, I have the Phillies as a wild card.
Check out the rest of my division by division selections.
As much as I want to take the Phillies in this battle, I'm giving the Nationals the one-game edge. Starting pitching does it for me right now, but if Bryce Harper is the MVP we saw a few years ago and the guy who was on fire at the end of 2018, watch out. Phillies will run away with the division. That said, I'm not 100 percent sure what Harper can be in Philly, so until he proves it, Nats' strong lineup, rotation and bullpen win it for me. The Braves will be close but young pitching and some bullpen blowups will be the difference for them. The Mets have a bunch of soon-to-be — or should-already-be — DH types on their team. Yes, there are some young players I like, but until that rotation can stay healthy, I'm not buying them as a legit contender. ... And the Marlins... Let's just say I liked the home run statue better than their chances to win 55 games this year.
The Reds offseason was an odd one for me. It started out with me making fun of my good friend Parker, an avid Reds fan. Then a few moves later, I started to see what was happening, to the point where I am now all on board for the 2019 Reds. The lineup is potent, the pitching is designed to get outs at Great American and the bullpen is strong. And the reason I have them finishing atop a division where I have four teams posting winning records is that the other three contenders cannot say that about all three phases of the game.
The NL West will belong to the Dodgers once again. The urge is there to move the Rockies to the top, but I've learned my lesson. Just because the Dodgers have some question marks to start the season — Clayton Kershaw being one of them — doesn't mean they can't get it done. They get Corey Seager back and should see some help from the minors throughout. Plus, there's always that player that shocks us. Chris Taylor two years ago. Max Muncy last year. Who is that guy this year? They also still have Kenley Jansen, and that's a game-changer when you're going to be in a tight division race. I give the Dodgers the one game edge.
This is once again a tough choice. Last year I went Yankees, and I was wrong thanks to an absolutely historic season by the Red Sox. Really, the only loss is Craig Kimbrel. How does that affect their record? In the overall scheme of things, I would say just a few games. Nevertheless, last year was just so historic that I firmly believe any team, no matter the talent, would be hard-pressed to repeat it. Case and point, the 116-win Mariners in 2001 didn't lose too much heading into 2002, but they dropped to 93 wins. Strangely, I just looked that up now and I already had the Red Sox pegged for 93 in my projections. I'm going with the Yankees once again because I believe they managed to get stronger this offseason.
This division is a mess. Cleveland still doesn't have an outfield. They did sign CarGo to a minor league deal, but that doesn't make me feel any better about their chances. That's why I'm sticking to my guns from 2018. I'm just going to say I was a year early on the Twins. I've done it before with the Royals, Cubs and Astros. I'll keep it going and stand by the Twins to win the worst division in baseball.
And then there were the Astros. Starting pitching may look weaker on paper, but with Verlander and Cole still headlining the 1-2 spots, I'm not worried. Houston will get help from the minors, the signing of Wade Miley was a smart one and Collin McHugh has had success in that role before. And if there's any question come June and July, you know how deep this organization is. They will pull the trigger to bring in a Madison Bumgarner or someone of that ilk. There will be a 1-2-3 punch come August and this team will win 100 games once again.
The 2019 Jargon MLB Preview.
Last year was a so-so year for me. I had three out of five AL playoff teams — had Twins over Indians, but it appears I may have been a year early on that one — and I had four of five NL playoff teams. The only one I had wrong was the Nationals over the Braves in the NL East, but I mean, who didn't have that?
I also take a bit of pride in getting the AL and NL Rookie of the Year selections right. I've never done that before. ... Now if only I didn't trade both of them midseason last year in fantasy baseball...
So this year, I'm betting I'm going to be way wrong here. The American League is a bit more predictable at this point, but I can make a case right now for 11 teams making the playoffs in the National League. I'm not just excited to watch my Phillies this year, I'm excited to see the daily battles in the NL East and NL Central. Four teams in each have legit shots at the playoffs, and I'll give the Pirates an outside chance, but as you'll see below, I'm not picking them to finish in a great spot.
For my World Series, this is interesting how I got to this point.
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Wild Cards
Phillies over Brewers
Red Sox over Rays
Division Series
Nationals over Reds
Phillies over Dodgers
Astros over Red Sox
Yankees over Twins
Conference Series
Phillies over Nationals
Astros over Yankees
World Series
Astros over Phillies
MVPs: Mike Trout & Bryce Harper
Cy Youngs: Chris Sale & Aaron Nola
Rookies of the Year: Eloy Jiménez & Victor Robles
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I expect No. 4 to change this year, but I wasn't sure how far I'd take it when sitting down to write this Jargon.
Once I had the win totals in and the bracket set, it just worked out that matchup-wise, I like a Phillies-Astros World Series.
Yes, sounds crazy, but why not? It's very feasible — or shall I say to the ire of my wife, pheasible.
I do have the Astros winning the series — let's call it in six — but nevertheless, National League MVP Bryce Harper will lead the way and defeat his former squad in the NLCS. Can you imagine that dramatic seven-game series? Nats and Phillies in October for the first time ever.
This is going to be awesome. I know predictions are what they are, but let's take a second to just imagine that I am right. (Sounds so nice to say.)
The hype around that series will be incredible. It will be to the level of Red Sox-Yankees meeting in the postseason.
Especially after the Nationals win the division by one game. That's right, I have the Phillies as a wild card.
Check out the rest of my division by division selections.
| NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST | W | L |
| Nationals | 92 | 70 |
| Phillies | 91 | 71 |
| Braves | 86 | 76 |
| Mets | 79 | 83 |
| Marlins | 51 | 111 |
| NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL | W | L |
| Reds | 92 | 70 |
| Brewers | 91 | 71 |
| Cardinals | 89 | 73 |
| Cubs | 85 | 77 |
| Pirates | 72 | 90 |
The Reds offseason was an odd one for me. It started out with me making fun of my good friend Parker, an avid Reds fan. Then a few moves later, I started to see what was happening, to the point where I am now all on board for the 2019 Reds. The lineup is potent, the pitching is designed to get outs at Great American and the bullpen is strong. And the reason I have them finishing atop a division where I have four teams posting winning records is that the other three contenders cannot say that about all three phases of the game.
| NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST | W | L |
| Dodgers | 91 | 71 |
| Rockies | 90 | 72 |
| Padres | 81 | 81 |
| Giants | 70 | 92 |
| Diamondbacks | 68 | 94 |
The NL West will belong to the Dodgers once again. The urge is there to move the Rockies to the top, but I've learned my lesson. Just because the Dodgers have some question marks to start the season — Clayton Kershaw being one of them — doesn't mean they can't get it done. They get Corey Seager back and should see some help from the minors throughout. Plus, there's always that player that shocks us. Chris Taylor two years ago. Max Muncy last year. Who is that guy this year? They also still have Kenley Jansen, and that's a game-changer when you're going to be in a tight division race. I give the Dodgers the one game edge.
| AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST | W | L |
| Yankees | 94 | 68 |
| Red Sox | 93 | 69 |
| Rays | 90 | 72 |
| Blue Jays | 78 | 84 |
| Orioles | 54 | 108 |
This is once again a tough choice. Last year I went Yankees, and I was wrong thanks to an absolutely historic season by the Red Sox. Really, the only loss is Craig Kimbrel. How does that affect their record? In the overall scheme of things, I would say just a few games. Nevertheless, last year was just so historic that I firmly believe any team, no matter the talent, would be hard-pressed to repeat it. Case and point, the 116-win Mariners in 2001 didn't lose too much heading into 2002, but they dropped to 93 wins. Strangely, I just looked that up now and I already had the Red Sox pegged for 93 in my projections. I'm going with the Yankees once again because I believe they managed to get stronger this offseason.
| AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL | W | L |
| Twins | 88 | 74 |
| Indians | 86 | 76 |
| White Sox | 81 | 81 |
| Royals | 65 | 97 |
| Tigers | 56 | 106 |
This division is a mess. Cleveland still doesn't have an outfield. They did sign CarGo to a minor league deal, but that doesn't make me feel any better about their chances. That's why I'm sticking to my guns from 2018. I'm just going to say I was a year early on the Twins. I've done it before with the Royals, Cubs and Astros. I'll keep it going and stand by the Twins to win the worst division in baseball.
| AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST | W | L |
| Astros | 100 | 62 |
| Athletics | 88 | 74 |
| Mariners | 82 | 80 |
| Angels | 80 | 82 |
| Rangers | 67 | 95 |
And then there were the Astros. Starting pitching may look weaker on paper, but with Verlander and Cole still headlining the 1-2 spots, I'm not worried. Houston will get help from the minors, the signing of Wade Miley was a smart one and Collin McHugh has had success in that role before. And if there's any question come June and July, you know how deep this organization is. They will pull the trigger to bring in a Madison Bumgarner or someone of that ilk. There will be a 1-2-3 punch come August and this team will win 100 games once again.
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