Baseball is more unpredictable than ever. Just last April, the unheralded Kansas City Royals came so agonizingly close to winning the World Series. The 2015 MLB season is set to start on Sunday, with so many more curveballs – both literal and figurative – all summer long.
In anticipation of the new season, let’s get our prognosticating caps on and try to predict how the entire season will play out. We’ll look at how each division shakes down, who will claim the important hardware and which teams will play on through the fall. Read on for our complete season preview below.
Also, check out what the top baseball experts think about the upcoming season with our 2015 MLB experts picks and predictions piece.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Complete Predictions for the 2015 MLB Season
Regular Season
AL East
- Boston Red Sox
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Baltimore Orioles
- Tampa Bay Rays
- New York Yankees
[sc:MLB240banner ]Sure, the Red Sox have their question marks. Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, their two big offseason additions, have their issues physically and the rotation is still missing a big-time ace. But the Sox, +145 favorites in the East, should have enough ammunition to capitalize on what is a wide-open division.
Toronto and Baltimore will give the Boston its stiffest test, but losing Marcus Stroman will hurt the Jays’ rotation, while the O’s will feel the absence of Nelson Cruz’s bat. Meanwhile, the Rays and Yankees have nowhere near the firepower in their respective lineups to mount much of a challenge this year.
The Red Sox have the depth in their lineup to make up for any shortcomings in the rotation, and can flip any of those plentiful assets for another available arm down the stretch, if need be. With all that talent in tow, Boston should be the team to beat in the East.
AL West
- Los Angeles Angels
- Seattle Mariners
- Oakland Athletics
- Texas Rangers
- Houston Astros
The AL West was supposed to be one of the more competitive division races last year, until the Oakland A’s fell apart in the last few weeks. This offseason, Billy Beane took that team apart, which will likely send the A’s further down the standings in 2015, just ahead of the Astros and Rangers.
With Oakland’s overhaul, the Seattle Mariners should step up and take its place as the Angels’ main competition. The M’s, who added Nelson Cruz in the offseason to add run support for their excellent rotation anchored by King Felix Hernandez, are actually the +140 favorites to win the division.
But the Angels have the best player in the game in reigning MVP Mike Trout, which can make up for any holes in their lineup. The Angels should get some more solid innings from starters Garrett Richards and Matt Shoemaker, who both had terrific 2014 seasons, and will be very good value at +180 to defend their AL West crown. The Mariners will have to settle for a wild card spot.
AL Central
- Chicago White Sox
- Cleveland Indians
- Detroit Tigers
- Kansas City Royals
- Minnesota Twins
The AL Central has been dominated by Detroit for the last four years. However, the Tigers’ reign at the top so nearly ended last season, and it will likely come to an even more definitive end this year.
Part of it is the Tigers’ own decline. Justin Verlander fell off a cliff last year, Max Scherzer left for Washington and Miguel Cabrera might never be 100 percent healthy. But part of it is also that the division has gotten so good. The Royals made it all the way to the World Series last year and the young Indians are growing stronger.
With reigning AL Cy Young Corey Kluber leading the way, don’t sleep on Cleveland making a Royals-like run to the World Series, even as a wild card.
And then, there’s something about the White Sox this year. They’ve got a formidable ace-slugger combo in Chris Sale and Jose Abreu, which they surrounded with decent pieces (Adam Eaton, Melky Cabrera, and Jeff Samardzija) in the offseason. The White Sox, priced at +280, are primed to surprise a lot of people and claim the division.
NL East
- Washington Nationals
- Miami Marlins
- New York Mets
- Atlanta Braves
- Philadelphia Phillies
Nothing’s certain in this crazy, unpredictable sport, but the closest thing to a sure bet this year is Washington winning the NL East. The Nats are a whopping -500 to defend their division crown, and it’s hard to make a case against them.
They had arguably the best rotation last year, and they added Cy Young winner Max Scherzer to that rotation during the offseason. The bullpen is rock solid, while the lineup is deep and has very few holes. What’s not to like?
The much more interesting race will be the one between the Mets and Marlins for second (and even a potential wild card place). The Marlins, though, were the much more aggressive team with their offseason moves, which should see them edge the Mets for that runner-up spot. As for the Phillies and Braves: better luck next year.
NL West
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- Colorado Rockies
- Arizona Diamondbacks
Much like the Nats in the East, the Los Angeles Dodgers (-250) are the undisputed team to beat out West in the National League. The new brain trust headed by former Tampa Bay general manager Andrew Friedman beefed up the team’s defense – particularly up the middle – in the offseason, as if reigning NL Cy Young and MVP Clayton Kershaw needed any more help getting outs.
With first place just about locked up, it’ll be a straight race for second between San Diego and San Francisco. The Padres were one of, if not the busiest team during the offseason, and came away with James Shields, Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, Will Middlebrooks and Justin Upton.
That haul should provide the Padres with enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with the reigning champion Giants, who could be primed for another World Series hangover.
NL Central
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Chicago Cubs
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Cincinnati Reds
The NL Central could potentially be one of the most wide open division races in baseball this year. All five teams priced at +900 or better to win the division.
But the St. Louis Cardinals have the edge over the other four, as they almost always do. With little to no holes evident throughout their roster, the Cards’ price of +140 to win the division should pay off quite nicely at the end of the season.
The Pirates, just like last year and the year before, will push the Cardinals all the way, and fall just a couple of games short. Meanwhile, the Cubs don’t quite win the World Series like Back to the Future fortold, but they do finally make it out of the bottom of the division after two years.
Awards
NL Rookie of the Year: Joc Pederson, Dodgers
AL Rookie of the Year: Rusney Castillo, Red Sox
Joc Pederson’s combination of power and defense made Matt Kemp expendable. With Kemp out of the picture, Pederson should see ample playing time at centerfield for the World Series-chasing Dodgers. Meanwhile, the centerfield spot will also be Rusney Castillo’s to lose in Boston. He has an enormous contract to live up to, but he also has the ability to back it up.
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
AL Cy Young: Chris Sale, White Sox
While Kershaw might not be MVP-level good again this year, he’ll be good enough to claim yet another Cy Young. And in the AL, Sale steps up as a bona fide ace and becomes one of the main reasons for the White Sox’s success.
NL MVP: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins
AL MVP: Mike Trout, Angels
With his long-term future set, Stanton goes nuts this season as his outrageous power fuels the Marlins to a postseason appearance. Trout does the same with the Angels, as he wins his second straight MVP.
Postseason
NL Playoffs
Wild Card Game: Marlins over Pirates
NLDS: Nationals over Marlins, Dodgers over Cardinals
NLCS: Nationals over Dodgers
AL Playoffs
Wild Card Game: Indians over Mariners
ALDS: Indians over Angels, White Sox over Red Sox
ALCS: Indians over White Sox
World Series
Nationals over Indians
The NL plays out exactly to chalk, with the two big World Series favorites – Los Angeles and Washington – meeting in the NLCS. The Nats’ superior pitching sees them past the Dodgers to reach the World Series, where they’ll improbably meet the Cleveland Indians.
The Indians get there the hard way, winning the play-in game against Seattle before beating the Angels in the ALDS and the White Sox, who beat the Red Sox, in the ALCS. Cleveland won’t get a happy ending though, as the Nats (+600) have too much for the Indians in the World Series.
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