Editors Note: I tasked some of the baseball minds of TGS to write a Major League Baseball Preview asking them to answer these questions. Hope you enjoy them.
Please check out others pieces as well
Matthias Schwartzkopf’s is here.
Tom Danielson’s is here.
Spencer Hughes’s is here
Nicole Gustafson’s is here.
David Graf’s is here.
Shawn Fensterman’s is here
1.Who will win the divisions?
AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Astros
The Indians and Astros won’t have the same ridiculous breathing room as last year but barring a lot of bad luck they should still comfortably win their division crowns again. The Yankees had an up and down season last year while dealing with injuries and still came within 2 games of the crown and then went on a run to the ALCS. The Bronx Bombers jacked up an already lethal lineup by adding Stanton ensuring they get their 19th division title in 2018.
NL EAST: Washington Nationals
NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee Brewers
NL: WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers
This is a complete guess based off minimal observances. Who even watches the NL?
2. Who will be the Wild Card Teams?
AL: Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. I know this makes for a boring prediction going with all the same playoff teams as last year, but there is a very large gap between the top 5 teams and everyone else in the American League. Anything besides these 5 teams would be a shock.
NL: Chicago Cubs & Colorado Rockies. I am not at all confident in Chicago but that pick is for all the Cubbie fans I know out there.
3. Who plays in the World Series and who wins?
Yankees over Dodgers.
4. Who are your League MVP’s?
AL: Aaron Judge
NL: Future Yankee Bryce Harper
5. Who are your League Cy Young winners?
AL: Corey Kluber
NL: Clayton Kershaw
6. If you could put any fictional baseball player on your favorite team, who would it be and why?
Thor. Have you seen what he can do with a hammer? Forget Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field, that ball would be in the East River.
7. Give me three bold predictions.
- Multiple teams will lose 100 games. Even with the parity of 2017, no one lost 100. Some of those bad teams will be improved meaning the bottom of the barrels will struggle even more than they did a year ago.
- Mike Trout will lead all of baseball in homers. No, not Judge & not Stanton.
- No pitcher will win 20 games for the second year in a row.
8. What are your top three baseball movies and one you dislike the most?
- Field of Dreams
- The Pride of the Yankees
- Bull Durham
“I believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshiped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball… I’ve tried ’em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.” – Annie Savoy (Bull Durham)
Dislike: Fever Pitch. A baseball movie should be about baseball. Also, f*ck the Red Sox.
9, Baseball has decided to honor Latin American players by wearing special hats and jerseys in the minor leagues this season. which of the new team logos and hats are your favorite?
I would wear most all of these but my winners would have to be the El Paso Chihuahuas and Lehigh Valley Tocino hats. Aces.
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