The 2015 MLB Season kicks off in the coming days and it’s time to get you set for all the action. It’s a whole new world in the majors this year as plenty of offseason moves have overhauled even the best of teams. To give you the jump on the season, we’ve collected the picks and predictions from some of the brightest baseball minds across the internet below.
Once you’ve got a grasp of the sharp opinions on the bigger picture, dig into the intricacies of each divisions with our looks at the AL Central and AL East, amongst others.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Experts Picks for the 2015 MLB Season
SBNation
SBNation has become a legitimate name in sports coverage, and their divisional picks are a good place to start in our survey of expert opinion.
| Division | Winner |
|---|---|
| AL West | Los Angeles Angels |
| AL Central | Cleveland Indians |
| AL East | Boston Red Sox |
| NL West | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| NL Central | St. Louis Cardinals |
| NL East | Washington Nationals |
SBNation’s Grant Brisbee decided to have some fun with his picks for the 2015 MLB season. He picked mostly favorites to win the divisions except for one notable exception. For Brisbee, the Cleveland Indians have just enough depth to win AL Central. The Indians are +270 to win their division.
Nick Swisher is finally healthy after injuring both knees last season. Prior to hitting just eight home runs in 2013, Swisher had nine-straight 20-home run seasons (one with Cleveland). If the 34-year-old veteran returns to speed, then the Indians should have just enough power to make some noise in AL Central. He’ll be joined by Yan Gomes, who hit a career-high 24 home runs last season.
| AL Wild Card | Tigers over Orioles |
|---|---|
| ALDS | Angels over Indians, Red Sox over Tigers |
| ALCS | Angels over Red Sox |
| NL Wild Card | Pirates over Mets |
| NLDS | Pirates over Nationals, Dodgers over Cardinals |
| NLCS | Pirates over Dodgers |
| 2015 World Series | Pirates over Angels |
Aside from predicting the division winners, Brisbee takes one step further by predicting the whole MLB postseason picture. A surprise team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, wins it all in 2015. That is after surviving a wild card playoff, NL powerhouses Washington and Los Angeles, and the hard-hitting Angels from Anaheim at the World Series. It’s bold, but then, after the Giants took home the crown last season, anything seems possible.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are +2,000 to win the 2015 World Series.
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Sports Illustrated
| Series | Matchups and Winners |
|---|---|
| AL Wild Card | Tigers over Angels |
| ALDS | Mariners over Tigers, Indians over Red Sox |
| ALCS | Indians over Mariners |
| NL Wild Card | Pirates over Marlins |
| NLDS | Nationals over Pirates, Dodgers over Cardinals |
| NLCS | Nationals over Dodgers |
| 2015 World Series | Indians over Nationals |
Sports Illustrated’s Ben Reiter is another believer in the Cleveland Indians. For him, the Indians not only win AL Central but the 2015 World Series as well at +2,000. The Indians have a tough road to the World Series though. They’d have gone through hard-hitting AL East champion Boston, and AL West’s Seattle Mariners.
Speaking of the Mariners, they’re pretty hot picks as well at +1,600 to win the World Series. Seattle is led by none other than Felix Hernandez. A two-time AL ERA champion (2010, 2014), King Felix could give the Mariners a deep playoff run.
NESN
The New England Sports Network is the broadcast home of the Boston Red Sox, and one of the louder voices in the world of baseball commentary. And yet, the Red Sox don’t quite make their list of division winners…
| Division | Winner |
|---|---|
| AL West | Los Angeles Angels |
| AL Central | Kansas City Royals |
| AL East | Baltimore Orioles |
| NL West | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| NL Central | Washington Nationals |
| NL East | Pittsburgh Pirates |
Two of NESN’s picks stand out: their winners in the NL Central and AL East.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Most experts believe that Adam Wainwright and St. Louis’ solid offense should barge to a third straight NL Central title. But NESN has the Cardinals falling behind the Pittsburgh Pirates by the thinnest of margins. It’s not too difficult to see why, especially with Pittsburgh’s talented cast of batters.
Perennial MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen could pace Pittsburgh to its first ever Central division title. He hit .324 with eight home runs and 16 RBIs over his final 37 games in 2014. That was after coming back from a strained oblique.
But what’s even more surprising is NESN’s snub of Boston (+140) to win the AL East. Instead, they picked Baltimore despite the departures of Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller through free agency. The Orioles could still do some damage with key returnees Manny Machado and Chris Davis.
But what may give the O’s success is their starting rotation. Wei-Yin Chen (3.54 ERA), Chris Tillman (3.34), Kevin Gausman (3.57) and Bud Norris (3.65) are decent pitchers. None of them are a true No. 1 starter, though.
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