It's finally here; after a very long Spring Training and a pretty exciting (if somewhat anticlimactic) World Baseball Classic, MLB Opening Day is only a couple days away. There are so many questions that will shape how this season plays out: Can the Cubs Repeat? Can the Indians finally get over the hump and take home their first crown in 69 years? Is 2015 Bryce or 2016 Bryce, the real Bryce Harper? Can the Mariners finally give King Felix the playoff berth he so greatly deserves? Is it possible for Mike Trout to get even better? How will Andrew Miller's use in the 2016 playoffs affect reliever usage? How will the White Sox impact the Trade Deadline? Which rebuilding teams are quiet underdogs poised to make a run? Which contenders will fall flat? Read on to see what I believe the answers to all these questions (and more) are. (W1) - Top Wildcard (W2)- Second Wildcard AL East: 1. Red Sox 2. Blue Jays (W2) 3. Yankees 4. Rays 5. Orioles Notes: The key to S
Because I'm a nerd and because it's fun, here are my (very) bold predictions for the 2016 MLB season. Enjoy! NL East New York Mets Washington Nationals Miami Marlins Atlanta Braves Philadelphia Phillies NL central: Chicago Cubs Stl Cardinals (WC) Pittsburgh Pirates Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers NL west: San Francisco Giants LA Dodgers (WC) Arizona Diamondbacks San Diego Padres Colorado Rockies NL notes: Colorado won't tank that hard but their poor pitching will be amplified by having to play 81 games at Coors field. Arizona's busy off season left them with a vastly improved rotation but not a ton of great bats, they fall short. LA is slow out of the gate due to a questionable rotation behind Clayton Kershaw and can't make up ground fast enough at the end of the season relegating them to a wildcard spot. St. Louis's excellent pitching staff is dragged down by a lack of a potent offense. Washington once again falls out of the playof