Every year, I've made my MLB projections, and even though I do a pretty good job for a guy who runs a fantasy blog that fades every summer, I feel at a loss this year.
I normally predict win totals, but after giving it a try here, I find myself struggling to pick it this year.
Why? Because I can seriously make cases for why three or more teams can win every division.
Seriously. Even the NL Central because I'm a little higher on the Cubs than most.
Even if I throw that division out and go with the mainstream favorites of St. Louis and Milwaukee in that division, here are the teams in the other divisions that I could see winning the crown.
Braves, Phillies, Mets.
Padres, Dodgers, Diamondbacks.
Jays, Yankees, Orioles and Rays.
White Sox, Guardians, Twins.
Mariners, Astros, Angels and Rangers.
That happens to be the order I predicted each division before giving up on win totals because the math doesn't work out, and I couldn't figure out where to subtract the wins.
So with my gut, I'm going to stick with the order above, and say Brewers edge Cardinals in NL Central for that title — pitching and Brewers get major contributions from Christian Yelich in a return-to-form season.
So here's my 2023 prediction, and I'm going total homer, and also piggy-backing off of a lesson I didn't learn years ago. So many times, I had the right World Series a year in advance. Last year, I really thought that it would be Braves and Jays, but I said there was a part of me that thought the Phillies could truly make it. And they did.
Now, I'm sticking with that. I think Trea Turner is going to ignite this offense in such a way that they are going to be a strong force at the start, and once Bryce Harper returns, there's going to be no stopping them.
But the key is truly going to be this bullpen. It is loaded with arms that can handle the high-leverage situation, something that was lacking in years past. We saw a glimpse of it in the playoffs last year and it's only stronger for 2023.
We'll see some help from the minors, and you can never count Dave Dombrowski out from making a big move. If there is a major piece available at the deadline, don't count this team out on getting it.
Other quick notes here: I know the Jays seem like a bold pick again, especially with the Yankees completely dominating a year ago, but I think that lineup and rotation come together this year. Last year it just never seemed to get going, and maybe a full season of Springer's healthy presence will help that. They, too, have the minor league prospects to make the moves needed at the deadline to make that push. ... If it's not the Jays, man, was I tempted to put the Mariners in there. I think their rotation at the end of the season will be looked at as the best in baseball. I also think Jarred Kelenic arrives and added with the soon-to-be No. 1 player in baseball Julio Rodriguez, they could lift this team to the World Series. It's a lot to ask for, though, so I'm only having them oust the Astros as division champs. ... Guardians shocked us all, and a lot of it had to do with how bad the White Sox were. I think the White Sox only got better, both on the field and in the dugout with a manager that will work better with the players on the field. Look for them to maybe even be there in that ALCS.
.jpeg)
Phillies over Brewers
Mets over Dodgers
White Sox over Astros
Yankees over Orioles
Divisional Series
Mariners over White Sox
Jays over Yankees
Phillies over Braves
Mets over Padres
League Championship Series
Phillies over Mets
Jays over Mariners
World Series
Phillies over Jays, Philly walks it off in 6 #Payback
Comments