Hello Baseball Fans,
The ’16 MLB regular season is about to begin. The American and National League teams will all have their clocks reset to zero and zero in the win-loss columns. Hopefully, that will be the only clock in the MLB, but that’s for another day. From foul line to foul line, clubhouse brass and players alike will be dreaming big dreams for a shot to play into October. We’re not going to pump this space up full of fluff though so let’s quickly review some of 2015’s prediction results (https://viewfromthedish.com/?m=201504) before we cast our ’16 spells (A few predictions from last year seemed like jinxes so why not call them spells?).
We predicted exactly zero A.L. division winners correctly. Wow, that’s as bad as you can get! A perfect (bad) game you could say. PLUS, we didn’t even get a playoff team correct (and there’s even 5 chances at that now a days). Stick a fork in him, he’s done! BOOOOO!! In the N.L., we correctly picked the Dodgers to win the West, and we were also right about the Pirates and Cardinals getting in the post-season. Not much to be proud of here. We said that no team would win 100 games. We came close on this one, but those same Cards ruined our hand by winning exactly that many. Not too shabby, but wrong is wrong. We also viewed the A.L. East as a wild, wild west and thought no one could win more than 89 games. Wrong, that team from the North, Toronto, swooped in and shagged 93 double-yous to send that one South. Ouch.
Next, we said Mike Trout would hit .300 or better and strike out less than 135 times. He hit .299 and whiffed 158 times (less than he did in ’14, which was part of the prediction as well. Getting better for sure, but couldn’t get much worse. Thanks Mike. We also said Prince Fielder would win Comeback Player of the Year. This may have been the peon of predictions considering his talent level, but we looked rather regal when it came true. We also said he’d hit 32 dingers with a .300 average. He was good for 23 HRs and did hit a smooth .305. Thanks Prince. And we’re most disappointed by what we thought was going to be the year we had five 20-Game winners and only Jake Arrieta and Dallas Keuchel got it done. However, there were three 19 and another three 18-game winners though. O.K., out with the old and in with the new already, here’s the Sweet ’16:
01: Once the real games begin, the likes of current and former players, i.e. Bryce Harper and David Ortiz and Goose Gossage and Johnny Bench, respectively, will stop talking about bat flips as a talking point relative to the overall state of the game. Small potatoes, gentlemen. As a manager or G.M., I’d fine my guys for that type of pot-stirring commentary during the regular season.
02: With enough arms to win any race, the New York Mets will take the N.L. East again. And with the bats, they’ll drop many more bombs than 2015. See Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto, Neil Walker, Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, and a healthy David Wright.
03: Kyle Schwarber’s #12 Cubs jersey becomes the top seller in all of ball as the Cubs maintain a stranglehold on first place all year long.
04: This year is ‘wait until next year’ for witnessing at least five pitchers win 20 games for the first time since 2003. And this time, we’re not naming who will do it. We just want five or more. We’re in no position to get specific with this one.
05: The Cardinals will not lead MLB in runs against after doing so in ’15 with a remarkable 525 total. That’s only 3.24 runs per game folks. Perhaps surprisingly, the top five was rounded out by the Dodgers way behind at 595, Pirates at 596, Cubs at 608, and Mets at 613. The Houston Astros were sixth at 618 and led the A.L.
06: Speaking of the Astros, they will drastically improve on a ridiculously poor home-road split of 20 fewer wins on the road vs. home last year. They were 25 games above .500 at home and 15 games under .500 on the road to finish at 86-76. Regardless of youth, they’re too talented for another inexcusable split like that.
07: Among those who qualify for a batting title, more than one player will have an average above .333. In ’15, Dee Gordon led the N.L. with exactly that and Miguel Cabrera was the only MLB player better than one-for-three all year at .338. It’s about time to see the pay-off of younger players capable of shortening up swings with two strikes on them. Put it in play boys!
08: After combining for 358 hits, 77 Hrs, and 216 RBI in 2015 in addition to two Gold Gloves and highlight reel play after play at their hot corners on defense, Baltimore’s Manny Machado and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado will win their league’s respective MVPs. Mike Trout comes in second for the 4th time out of his five full seasons. And don’t forget, he won MVP that ‘other’ time.
09: Texas again loses to Toronto, but this time in a one game Wild Card rematch of their epic 2015 Division Series. Plus, there are no flippings or beanings.
10: Pittsburgh beats St. Louis in the N.L. Wild Card to finally advance to the Division Series after failing to move on the previous three years, and the N.L. Central Division repeats its own feat of having three post-season qualifiers.
11: The BoSox send Toronto packing in a five game series that features a Game 5 shutout by David Price of his former teammates. It is the first post-season complete game shutout since giant San Francisco Giant Madison Bumgarner threw one in the N.L. Wild Card game AND another in Game 5 of the Fall Classic in ’14. Kansas City, the defending champions, fall to Houston in four games, ending their shot at three straight World Series appearances, which was last done by the 1998-00 New York Yankees. Due to rain upsetting the schedule, Dallas Keuchel starts and wins two games.
12: The Cubbies advance over the Pirates for the second straight year, and this time it is on to the NLCS. A diving two-out catch with men on base in centerfield by Jason Heyward clinches the game 5 victory in what was otherwise a sub-standard season by the coveted defensive specialist. Meanwhile, the Giants show the Mets that they can really pitch too and take the series in four games. Second sacker Joe Panik paces the offense by hitting .523 (11 for 21).
13: Boston comes back from a three games to two deficit and advances to the World Series in seven games over Houston thanks to home-field advantage and the dominant pitching performances of David Price and Clay Buccholz in Games 6 and 7. It is Boston’s fourth pennant in the last 13 seasons.
15: For the N.L. pennant, the Giants offense struggles mightily as they go down in an ‘even’ numbered year to the Cubs in an odd number of just five games. In the NLCS, Jason Heyward reemerges as a pillar on offense (2 HRs, 4 RBI) and defense, making the Cubs’ front office, and naysayers alike, rejoice. The Cubs advance to their 2nd pennant since 1944, snapping a most painful streak of failing to get on the big stage in the playoff eras. Yes, eras.
16: Despite Chicago’s top-notch talent in all facets of the game, the Boston Red Sox show their veteran presence and overall depth as the no-longer-cursed franchise now plays the part of curse-extender to the senior circuit’s Cubs. Featuring great moves throughout (thank you differing A.L. and N.L. sets of rules) by former A.L. East division rival managers, John Farrell and Joe Maddon, the Series goes six games with two games needing extra innings, both won by Boston. As a result, the series goes on to smash the all-time t.v. ratings record each game. Of course, the ensuing what-ifs and second guessing are painful reminders of Cubs teams past. Again. But the you-had-a-great-year-anyway parade in downtown Chicago is epic and rivals the RedSox 2004 and ChiSox 2005 championship celebrations. Win or lose, the city by the lake (Michigan) won’t snooze folks.
We’ll check up on these crazy picks next year. You never know, we may even get two right this time. Ha, that’s why we made more picks. Well truthfully, it just made for a decent sounding title.
Later Baseball Fans.