MLB: The Dodgers Are Still the Favorites

Mar 22, 20183 min read

NL West: Introducing your 2018 World Series winners the San Francisco Giants, the even year magic is back, goodnight! No, all jokes aside the Giants had a pretty good offseason, adding two middle of the lineup bats in Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen. Their staff depth will most likely be their downfall. Expect another bad year from them and the perpetually rebuilding San Diego Padres, who are basically the Cleveland Browns of the MLB. The Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks are both capable of pushing the Los Angeles Dodgers and nabbing a Wild Card spot. The Diamondbacks are the better of the two teams boasting an underrated starting rotation and my sleeper pick for NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt. (Can a perennial All-Star really be a sleeper pick?) The NL West conversation starts and ends with the Dodgers. They have a fantastic staff led by my pick for NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, and Kenley Jansen. The loss of Yu Darvish will hurt but they have the necessary depth to mitigate that pain. Their lineup features the dynamic duo of Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager and is boosted by the enigmatic Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner’s beard, which could hit 30 homers on its own. We shouldn't expect the historic run we got last year, but we should expect dominance from the reigning National League champs.

Projected Standings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers.

2. Colorado Rockies.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks.

4. San Francisco Giants.

5. San Diego Padres.

NL East: Much like the West, the NL East should be dominated by one team, however the storylines coming from the division’s bottom feeders should be far more interesting. The Miami Marlins had another fire sale and will field a team I'm not sure would win in Triple-A. The New York Mets are the Mets and will do Mets things. Their rotation could be very intriguing to watch or they could all get hurt and we will be looking at another 100-loss team in the East. The Atlanta Braves youth movement isn't in full effect just yet but we are getting there. They have exciting young players in their lineup as Ender Inciarte, Ozzie Albies, and Dansby Swanson should be starting on opening day and their top prospect Ronald Acuna should be up in June. They will see a lot of growing pains but should keep hardcore Braves fans excited about the future. The Philadelphia Phillies, who were the last place finisher in 2017, are the team I think have the best chance to knock off the Nats or challenge for a Wild Card spot. The Phils are young and they are talented, adding Jake Arrieta and Carlos Santana, who could provide the leadership they need to breakthrough to the postseason. Which brings us to my NL East winners and my NL MVP pick: the Washington Nationals and Bryce Harper. With a staff consisting of Max Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez, they'll walk through the East unscathed.

Projected Standings:

1. Washington Nationals.

2. Philadelphia Phillies.

3. Atlanta Braves.

4. New York Mets.

5. Miami Marlins.

NL Central: The Pittsburgh Pirates are over. Blow it up! The ownership realized they had no chance of contending anytime soon and the era of these Pirates ended with the trade of McCutchen. Look for them to continue dealing guys throughout the season and bolstering their farm system. The Cincinnati Reds will also struggle this upcoming season, and losing their shortstop in free agency won't help. They just don't have a lot of talent and there isn't a ton of upside coming through the pipeline. This'll be a very similar season to last year for them. The St. Louis Cardinals are a middling team who have a good roster. They lost Lance Lynn which is a blow, but Michal Wacha and Carlos Martinez are a nice 1-2 punch. Their lineup is solid but lacking a foundational star. Look for them to battle for the Wild Card but ultimately fall short. The Milwaukee Brewers are in win now mode after last year's surprising finish. They signed Lorenzo Cain to a five-year $80 million deal and traded for one of the best contracts in baseball in Cristian Yelich. Can they out pitch their expectations yet again and get past the Central’s final boss, the Chicago Cubs? This team may be better than the one that won the World Series. Yu Darvish is a workhorse, and Jon Lester is a Cy Young candidate. They boast two MVP candidates: Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. Not to mention the best manager in baseball!

Projected Standings:

1. Chicago Cubs.

2. Milwaukee Brewers.

3. St. Louis Cardinals.

4. Cincinnati Reds.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates.

Award Predictions:

MVP: Nolan Arenado (Rockies)

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers)

Rookie of the Year: Ronald Acuna (Braves)

Manager of the Year: Bud Black (Rockies)

Comeback: Adam Eaton (Nationals)