2023 MLB Season: Divisional & World Series Predictions
The 2023 MLB season is set to begin today, which means it's time to detail all the interesting storylines as well as predictions for this upcoming season. Play Ball!
AL East
Nice three-team fight between the Jays, Rays, and Yankees for first place. A division that could have all five teams returning .500 or more.
1- Blue Jays: The most balanced team in the division. They filled their needs during the winter with the addition of left-handed hitters, including Daulton Varsho, Brandon Belt, and Kevin Kiermaier, in addition to Chris Bassitt as a starter. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.should replicate his statistics from previous seasons.
2- Rays: It's happening on the mound for the Rays and they are better than ever both as a group of starters and in relief. I expect an excellent season from Wander Franco. They just have to produce enough on offense.
3- Yankees: Without Luis Severino and Carlos Rodon to start the season and there are concerns about the performance of Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks among others. Anthony Rizzo, D.J. LeMahieu, and Giancarlo Stanton aren’t getting any younger. Without taking anything away from Aaron Judge, repeating the same success he had last season will be extremely difficult. Anthony Volpe will be dominant to watch at the shortstop position.
4-Orioles: A young team full of talent. Adley Rutchman last year transformed this team. Gunnar Henderson will be a youngster to watch. The offense will have to produce to maintain the success they enjoyed last year with 83 wins.
5- Red Sox: Too many unanswered questions for the Red Sox. If Masataka Yoshida becomes a spark plug, it could give hope. However, I don't see how Boston can win more than 81 or 82 games.
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AL Central
A two-team fight in this division between Cleveland and Minnesota. Unfortunately for the White Sox, the window is closing.
1-Guardians: An excellent and young staff of starting pitchers (they are all between 25 and 28 years old) in addition to a dominant closer in Emmanuel Clase (25 years old). An underrated offense that should take advantage of the new rules implemented this season. You can't talk about Cleveland without highlighting Jose Ramirez, one of baseball's most underrated players.
2-Twins: The key for Minnesota is making sure Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa play as many games as possible. Pablo Lopez gives them a real number-one starting pitcher. Hoping to see Édouard Julien make his debut somewhere in 2023. Manager Rocco Baldelli is one of the best in his profession.
3-White Sox: Tim Anderson can't do it all alone. Lucas Giolito, Mike Clevenger, and Michael Kopech must be significantly better on the mound than last year to give them a fighting chance. The loss of Jose Abreu will be felt.
4-Royals: The Royals are building around Bobby Witt Jr. They have several young players they can build around Witt Jr. Moreover, among the starting lineups, Kansas City has several young players. In fact, Salvador Perez will be the oldest at 32.
5-Tigers: Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson are two very promising players and they will be surrounded by Javier Baez and Miguel Cabrera. A slow team, but could have six or seven players with more than 15 homers.
AL West
A three-way fight for the division crown between the Angels, Astros, and Mariners. It will be quite difficult to dethrone the Astros.
1-Astros: Add Jose Abreu to an attack that was already producing! However, the loss of Jose Altuve at the start of the season will be noticed. Despite the departure of Justin Verlander, don't worry, the starting rotation of Framber Valder, Christian Javier, Jose Urquidy, Luis Garcia and Hunter Brown will have the situation well in hand. Kyle Tucker could be among the MVP candidates.
2-Angels: They certainly have the attack to produce with a lot of power. However, will they be able to prevent the opponent from scoring more? Shohei Ohtani and Patrick Sandoval are safe bets and they signed Tyler Anderson, so they have a very respectable rotation.
3-Mariners: A well-balanced team. Julio Rodriguez is already an impact player. Experts are predicting that young Jarred Kelenic will break out this year. They added several veterans like Teoscar Hernandez, Kolten Wong, and A.J. Pollock, but the strength of the team is on the mound. Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Robbie Ray, Marco Gonzalez, and George Kirby as starters in addition to good relief.
4-Rangers: They spent a lot of money last year on Marcus Semien and Corey Seager and on Jacob DeGrom this year. No one doubts that it improves their chances of climbing the leaderboard, but is it enough to fight for the top spot? When Robbie Grossman and Brad Miller are in your starting lineup, there's room for improvement.
5-A’s: The key for this team is to find an owner and find a way out of Oakland:
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NL East:
A division to follow with great interest. The stability of the Braves, the arrival of Trey Turner to the Phillies, the expensive acquisitions of the Mets, and the many changes for the Marlins will make this division even more exciting.
1- Braves: Difficult to have a better team than the one that finished with 101 wins last year. They're going to have Ozzie Albies all season, plus one of the best-catching duos with the addition of Sean Murphy. Besides, I expect a monster season from Ronald Acuna Jr. In short, they won't be easy to beat.
2- Phillies: Trey Turner is the most important acquisition among free agents. He makes the Phillies so much better across the board, especially with Bryce Harper out for the first few weeks of the season.
3- Mets: Lots of money spent! Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer may still be capable of dominating, but how many starts will they make? Inevitably, the injury to Edwin Diaz will be felt.
4-Marlins: With the return of several injured players in 2022 and the acquisition of some established players, the Marlins should score more runs and thus help them to beat the other teams in the division.
5-Nationals: I remind you that the Nationals won the World Series in 2019! The challenge in 2023 will be to win 70 games. A young team, but in a total rebuild. A few good kids are knocking on Major League Baseball's door, but it's going to take a few years to see them fight for the top spot in this division.
NL Central
St. Louis and Milwaukee will battle for the top spot in this division, but the Cubs are intriguing. Hopefully, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati will move forward to make this division more exciting.
1-Cards: What an organization! The Cards are never in a rebuild mode. They still combine youth with experience and are constantly in the fight for a playoff spot. The retirement of Yadier Molina left a big hole that they filled by signing the excellent Wilson Contreras under contract. In Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, they have two potential MVPs and they could also have the Rookie of the Year in Jordan Walker. Not the most solid rotation in the league, but the Cards will be able to stand out from the other teams in the Central.
2-Brewers: With three starting pitchers of this quality (Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta), you have every chance of succeeding. A few question marks on offense, but can't wait to see Jesse Winker with Milwaukee. He could be the key to this attack.
3-Cubs: What a mysterious team. They have a team that will lead to a big surprise or could be an expensive disaster. Eric Hosmer, Trey Mancini, Cody Bellinger, Edwin Rios will try to support Dansby Swanson. If all these veterans regain their form, watch out! Jameson Taillon has been a solid addition to complement Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele.
4-Pirates: Not an obvious situation in Pittsburgh. Not a big market and they don't seem to want to spend. Shortstop Oneil Cruz is alone worth the price of admission. 5-Reds: Their season relies mostly on three young starting pitchers: Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft. A young team that is progressing in the right direction. This will possibly be Joey Votto's last season with the organization.
5-Reds: Their season relies mostly on three young starting pitchers: Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft. A young team that is progressing in the right direction. This will possibly be Joey Votto's last season with the organization.
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NL West
The Dodgers' dominance at the top of this division is a thing of the past. The Diamondbacks could be a team to watch.
1- Padres: They have all the elements to overtake the Dodgers in the standings. It will be funny to see Xander Bogaerts in a different uniform than the Red Sox. Manny Machado, Juan Soto, and the soon-to-return Fernando Tatis Jr.will not only be a good team, but a great one to watch. They spent a lot of money, now it's time to produce!
2-Dodgers: The Dodgers have dominated this division for a long time and for that to continue, it will take J.D. Martinez, David Peralta, Trayce Thompson, and Miguel Rojas having a very good season. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will not be able to do everything alone on offense. A good starting rotation, but less depth than in the past and in the bullpen. Dave Roberts will have his hands full trying to keep up with the Padres.
3-D-Backs: Nice young team. They will go from 74 wins in 2022 to 84 this year. Can't wait to witness Gabriel Moreno's progress from the Jays to the D-Backs in the Daulton Varsho trade. Not the most spectacular rotation, but if any team can surprise in the National League in 2023, it's them. They have enough power and a lot of speed. An exciting team to watch.
4-Giants: A team trying to rejuvenate itself, but I don't see how they could improve on the 2022 record of 81-81. Their success will come through starters Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Ross Stripling, Sean Manaea, and Alex Wood.
5-Rockies: According to many experts that analyze all the statistics imaginable, the Rockies could be the worst team in baseball. But if Kris Bryant can play a full season and Jurickson Profar, Charlie Blackmon and C.J. Cron hit their full potential, they could finish the season with some decency and have 75 wins.
World Series: Cubs Versus Yankees
Winner: Cubs
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