I know, I know: the season has already started. How can these predictions now be valid? Well, I didn’t have the Mets going undefeated so I think I am ok.
Let’s start with the National League. SU can barely find room on the Mets’ bandwagon. Way too crowded and everyone is picking them to win the NL East. SU is not so sure. Some teams play better under the radar and have a harder time coping with expectations. On paper, the young pitchers have more experience under their belts and the young hitters should be that much better. But….sometimes young players take a step back before they are ready to make the big step forward. SU believes the Nationals will be a worthy adversary in the East but of course, having Stephen Drew on the roster will ultimately bring them down. He is a difference maker. The Mets will win the East but it will go into September and be closer than you think.
Lots of love out there for the Cubs to take the next step and win it all. SU will agree on that one but the SF Giants win their world championships in the even years and last time I checked, it’s 2016. Giants win the West, Cubs in the Central and the Nationals and Cardinals take the wild cards.
In the American League, the AL East is a toss-up. Many predict the Toronto Blue Jays will win the division and the World Series this year. SU disagrees. The Jose Bautista contract will become a bigger and bigger distraction as the season unfolds and if any of their starters goes down, they are just a good hitting team with limited pitching. They may win the East but they won’t make it to the World Series. Btw, former Yankee phenom Jesus Montero is now in their farm system. How the mighty have fallen.
The Yankees will contend but YES ratings will be way down along with attendance. This roster is a snoozefest. All 5 starters will find their way to the DL during the course of the year. Texeiria is in his walk year (and he will walk with Greg Bird ready to assume 1st base next season) and he should be motivated for that reason. Expect harder outs into the shift this year as opposed to softer outs in the past. Castro will be a guy to watch along with Hicks in the outfield. He is going to take at bats away from both Ellsbury and Gardner. The Yankees will make one of the Wild Cards. The Royals are still in good shape but getting to the World Series 3 years in a row is very hard. Texas wins the West and the Royals and Yankees are the Wild Cards. Watch out for Detroit to make a comeback this year and get to the World Series where they lose to the Giants in 6 games.
As always, SU is interested in what the subscriber base is thinking. Feel free to weigh in.
Finally, great NCAA championship game last night with such a high quality last 10 minutes. Look for a lot of college coaches incorporating Villanova’s last second full court play into their playbook next season. That was executed perfectly. It wasn’t a great tourney and a lousy Final Four but exciting finale.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
The Mets bandwagon is very crowded even though several WFAN callers jumped off because of a Cespedes error and strikeout. I’m picking them too because the starting pitching is just too strong but I wouldn’t get overly confident about it. Being the favorite and building on one successful season with another requires a certain workmanlike approach and between Harvey, Syndergaard and Cespedes, they may have too many players likely to dominate the back pages with their antics, dissatisfaction or both.
I give the Yankees the same chance as last year which means they’re going to have to play solidly and hope that the other teams in the East all falter as they have recently. As a backup to the three outfield positions, Hicks is going to be in the lineup every game (and twice for some of them). If the stars align, they could have a good rotation. They could also have a AAA rotation once injuries set in. Toronto scared me last year (even before they pulled away at the end) and they scare me again. Their run differential in 2015 was +221. The next highest team was the Cardinals at +122. Obviously this isn’t the only driver of wins but there’s a strong correlation and their dominance in this stat can’t be overlooked. The margin for error was huge for them last year and it could be again. I agree that it is hard to make the World Series 3x in a row, particularly when you rely on the type of play that the Royals rely on. Still, they may have found the new formula for success in today’s game so it’s hard to pick against them.
The Braves will be lucky to win 60 games. My son said “Garcia” hit a home run the other day. I have no idea who Garcia is. I am putting my effort into watching the Gwinnett Braves this year as they are most likely the team that will be on the field in 2017 and 2018. Good to see Michael Bourn back with the team. Any time you can add a 43 year old CF you have to do it (kidding as I actually like the guy).