MLB: 2020 regular season preview
Check out our MLB power rankings, playoff projections, and more before the season begins on Thursday, July 23!
Top-5 Teams:
1) New York Yankees
2) Los Angeles Dodgers
3) Oakland Athletics
4) Atlanta Braves
5) Washington Nationals
The defending World Series champion Washington Nationals lost Anthony Rendon during the offseason but still have guys like Max Scherzer, Juan Soto, and Stephen Strasburg, who will keep them in contention. For now, we have them slotted as the 5th ranked team. Right in front of them is our pick for NL East champs: the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta is led by MVP candidate Ronald Acuña Jr. and recently acquired Cole Hamels. A pair of California franchises in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics come in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The Dodgers are clear NL favorites as they brought back Cody Bellinger and Clayton Kershaw, and traded for Mookie Betts. The A's should challenge the Houston Astros for the NL West title, while the Yankees, led by Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge, are projected to win the AL East and are our top team heading into the year.
Other Playoff Teams:
6) Houston Astros
7) Tampa Bay Rays
8) Minnesota Twins
9) St. Louis Cardinals
10) Chicago Cubs
11) Cleveland Indians
12) Cincinnati Reds
13) Los Angeles Angels
14) Milwaukee Brewers
15) San Diego Padres
16) Toronto Blue Jays
Rest of the League:
17) San Francisco Giants
18) Chicago White Sox
19) Arizona Diamondbacks
20) Texas Rangers
21) Philadelphia Phillies
22) Boston Red Sox
23) Colorado Rockies
24) New York Mets
25) Seattle Mariners
26) Detroit Tigers
27) Miami Marlins
28) Kansas City Royals
29) Baltimore Orioles
30) Pittsburgh Pirates
World Series Favorites:
1) Dodgers (+400)
2) Yankees (+400)
3) Astros (+1200)
4) Twins (+1600)
5) Athletics (+1800)
Odds according to Sporting News.
Playoff Projections:
AL Division Winners (3): New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, and Cleveland Indians
AL Wild Card (5): Houston, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Toronto
NL Division Winners (3): Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Atlanta Braves
NL Wild Card (5): St. Louis, Milwaukee, Washington, Cincinnati, and San Diego
The Yankees (projected to go 37-23) are expected to win the AL East by more than a few games, but the Tampa Bay Rays (projected to go 32-28) will keep it close enough to reach the postseason as well. In the AL Central, most publications see the Minnesota Twins as favorites but we think the Cleveland Indians (projected to go 31-29) get in by a game. Both the Athletics (projected to go 35-25) and Houston Astros also make the playoffs again. The NL Central gets three teams in with the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs (projected to go 33-27), and Cincinnati Reds. At the top of the NL are the LA Dodgers (projected to go 39-21) and Atlanta Braves, as the former clinches home field advantage. The remaining playoff spots to go the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals, and San Diego Padres.
Award Predictions:
AL MVP: Mike Trout (Angels)
NL MVP: Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
AL Cy Young: Charlie Morton (Rays)
NL Cy Young: Jacob deGrom (Mets)
AL Rookie: Casey Mize (Tigers)
NL Rookie: Carter Kieboom (Nationals)
Photo Credit: The New York Times.
