MLB 2016 Discussion

Aye, JWD here.

So, with Opening Day being today, I thought I might make an MLB discussion thread for all you baseball fans out there. Even if I can count them all on one hand...

The National League is going to be fun to watch this year. There are so many playoff contenders. However, there are also a lot of teams that are either rebuilding or will most likely tank. The Cubs are looking like the strongest team in the league to me. With Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, along with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and new acquirement Jason Heyward, the Cubbies are poised to make a run for their first ring since 1908. The Diamondbacks had a strong offseason, signing Zack Greinke, who in my opinion, should have been the Cy Young winner last year. They'll be looking to reach the postseason after years of being in the cellar of the NL West. Of course, we can't forget about the Cardinals, Pirates, Giants, and Mets. The Cardinals have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, and now that they have Adam Wainwright back, they'll be even stronger. The Pirates have Gerrit Cole, a Cy Young canidate, Andrew McCutchen, and a solid team overall. Their rotation is quite solid, with Fransico Liriano, and AJ Burnett accompanying Cole. The Giants are never out of the question. Also, its an even year. Watch out for them. The Mets are the defending champions of the National League. They have one of, if not the best rotation in baseball, with Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. Some other teams to watch will be the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals. The Dodgers are still a strong team, but their rotations have some serious questions behind Clayton Kershaw, possibly the best pitcher in the MLB. With Hin-Jun Ryu still injured, and Brett Anderson getting hurt in Spring Training, there will be some serious questions about LA's rotation going forward. Their lineup should be good, with a very deep outfield that consists of Yasiel Puig, Andre Either, Joc Pederson, Carl Crawford, and Kike Hernandez, along with up and coming prospect Corey Seager at Shortstop, the Dodgers shoud have a very good offense this year. The Nationals are coming off a dissapointing year, where they were thought to be the best team in baseball at the beginning of the season, only to finish a disappointing 83-79. However, they have a chance this year, as long as they can stay healthy. With Max Scherzer and Stephen Strausburg on the mound, along with Bryce Harper at the plate, the Nats will look to rebound this season.

As for the American League, they should be fun to watch as well, especially the AL East. I think the Tampa Bay Rays are the only team that doesn't have a chance at the playoffs in the AL East. The Yankees most likely won't win the division, but with A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner, and Brain McCann, the Yankees will have a good offense this year. That said, the pitching staff has some serious questions. Masahiro Tanaka, perhaps the only consistent starter, can't seem to go a full season without injuring his elbow. Behind him, theres not much there, besides promising prospect Luis Severino.The bullpen though, should be deadly. Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances, and Aroldis Chapman make up perhapps the best 7-8-9 punch in MLB history. This should help the starters, as they won't have to worry about pitching late into the game, since they have a solid bullpen behind them. The Red Sox had perhaps the best offseason, signing David Price and Chris Young, and trading for Craig Kimbrel. They have a chance to go from worst to first this year. The Blue Jays have the best offense in baseball. No contest. Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki. Their pitching rotation might have some questions, with the exit of David Price, but their offense should be enough to carry them to the playoffs. As for the rest of the AL, I don't see any more serious contenders, aside from the Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros. The Royals are the defending champs, and I see no reason why they can't repeat. Their rotation has a few questions, but they have the best bullpen in baseball to make up for it. The Yankees may change that title this year, but the Royals still have one of the best. Along with a solid lineup and a great defense, this Royals team should be back in the Playoffs yet again. As for the Astros, I think its finally their time to shine. They have so many young stars in Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel, Evan Gattis, and a few veterans such as Jose Altuve, and new signings Colby Rasmus and Carlos Gomez.

So, as for my predictions.

MVP: Jose Bautista (AL), Bryce harper (NL)
Cy Young: Dallas Keuchel (AL), Clayton Kershaw (NL)

Al East Winner: Toronto Blue Jays
Al Central Winner: Kansas City Royals
Al West Winner: Houston Astros
Al Wild Card #1: Boston Red Sox
Al Wild Card #2: New York Yankees

NL East Winner: New York Mets
NL Central Winner: Chicago Cubs
NL West Winner: San Fransico Giants
NL Wild Card #1: St. Louis Cardinals
NL Wild Card #2: Arizona Diamondbacks

Al Champion: Blue Jays over Royals
NL Champion: Cubs over Mets

World Series Champion: Cubs over Blue Jays.

Feel free to leave your predictions down below, and have a good day! ^.^

 

As you said, I really believe the Cubs are going to win it all this year. They have no 'flaws' in their lineup, and the only thing that could cost them a good season is injuries. As for The American League, I think that Blue Jays and the Royals will go ham.
I got Mike Trout and Kris Bryant going home with the M.V.P awards, and Arrieta with Price going home with the CY Young awards. I know, David Price is a longshot, but I got a feeling he's going to have a good year.

 

Unfortunately the only flaw in the cubs lineup is the flaws of the players themselves. They tend to strike out a lot. When there are men in scoring position, getting a strikeout is not helpful (and it killed them against the Mets last year) compared to getting contact (when it's an out). I would like to see more contact and less swing and misses from the cub's big hitters this year.

Don't forget about history. It's technically the Giants' turn to win it all. XD