JFLANland 2018 MLB Season Preview

Here we are, the night before the first pitch of the 2018 season.  For the next seven months, there will always be something on TV, always a sports argument to be had, always a wish for Angel Hernandez and CB Buckner to retire gracefully instead of trying to ruin games with their awful calls.  Yes, baseball is back.  It also means that I have something to write about now that Syracuse has been eliminated from the tournament, and since I can't start my NFL mock draft until teams stop trading all their damn picks.  And for that, for my evenings spent at Nats Park, and for getting to stay up til 1 AM to watch live games on MLB Network, I am grateful.  So, in honor of the new season, here are a few predictions for the season.  We will start with my division standings:


AL East

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Tampa Bay Rays

The Yankees have a new "Murderer's Row" in Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez, with capable players like Brett Gardener, Didi Gregorious, and Neil Walker around them, plus a few solid young prospects that can fill in when needed.  They will be able to outscore teams easily.  Furthermore, they have a rather good rotation- Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray, the veteran CC Sabathia, and young pitcher Jordan Montgomery.  I think they will just squeak past the Red Sox to take the AL East, though the Sox will grab one of the Wild Cards


AL Central

1.  Cleveland Indians
2.  Minnesota Twins
3.  Chicago White Sox
4.  Kansas City Royals
5.  Detroit Tigers

It is a boring pick, sure, but the Indians are so talented, it is hard to imagine them having much of a drop off from last year's stellar campaign.  The Twins will keep it close though, having added quality pitching in Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi to what was already a playoff team.  I think the big surprise this year could be the Chicago White Sox.  They are chocked full of young talent, led by eventual ace Lucas Giolito, Yoan Moncada, and Avisail Garcia.  While they won't be a Wild Card team, getting close to .500 will be a big accomplishment.


AL West

1.  Houston Astros
2.  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California...
3.  Seattle Mariners
4.  Texas Rangers
5.  Oakland Athletics

Again, not a shocking pick.  The defending World Series champions are so talented and deep, it would be shocking if they didn't win the division.  They get a full season of Justin Verlander, and they added Gerrit Cole from the Pirates.  The Angels, from wherever they claim to be from these days, tried to keep pace by adding Justin Upton, Zack Cozart, and "the Japanese Babe Ruth", Shohei Ohtani.  I think Ohtani, at the beginning of the season, will be more of a distraction than a benefit, and the Angels fall short of the Wild Card again. 


NL East

1.  Washington Nationals
2.  Philadelphia Phillies
3.  New York Mets
4.  Atlanta Braves
5.  Miami Marlins

Yes, I picked my team to win.  Everyone else is too, so deal with it.  I would put the Mets 2nd, but they have to prove to everyone they can stay healthy for a year.  I think that the Phillies, on the back of Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta, will take a big step forward, making everyone here in DC sweat until at least mid-September, if not all the way to the end of the season.  The Braves are still a year or two away, and the Marlins... well, you've always got the Dolphins... Heat...  The U was pretty solid this year, right?


NL Central

1.  Chicago Cubs
2.  Milwaukee Brewers
3.  St. Louis Cardinals
4.  Cincinnati Reds
5.  Pittsburgh Pirates

Hey Chicago, whaddaya say.  The Cubs will win the division, barring something very surprising.  The Brewers will make the playoffs though, having added so much talent in their lineup, led by Christian Yelich.  The Cardinals will be right there til the end of the season, and may be the team to spoil my predictions.  The Reds have young prospects to go along with the Grumpy Canadian Joey Votto, but even a (spoiler) MVP season from him won't keep them competitive in a very good division.  The Pirates are in full rebuild mode, whether they want to admit it or not.


NL West

1.  Los Angeles Dodgers
2.  Arizona Diamondbacks
3.  Colorado Rockies
4.  San Francisco Giants 
5.  San Diego Padres

Talk about a talented division.  This is essentially a crap-shoot of the top 4, even the Giants.  Adding Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutcheon were big for the Giants.  Unfortunately, Madison Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija are already hurt, and that will mean they need to get on a big roll once they are fully healthy.  The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Rockies will compete all season like they did last year, but I think the Dodgers will just pull ahead in the last week and win the division, with the runner up Diamondbacks snagging the second Wild Card.




Now is where many writers have given their World Series picks.  I am too much of a fan of the Nationals to say another team will make it, but I hope to God they at least advance to the NLCS.  Whoever wins the NL, though, will be facing the Houston Astros in the World Series.  Now, how about some awards?


AL MVP

There are a ton of worthy candidates in the AL.  You've got the 3 Yankees sluggers, Mookie Betts, JD Martinez, Jose Altuve, Mike Trout, Jose Ramirez, etc.  However, I am going to pick Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor to win the AL MVP.  He finished 5th in the MVP voting last season, and will have that "best player on the best team" vibe going.  I think he pushes his average closer to .300, and wins a tight, nowhere near unanimous race to take home the hardware.

NL MVP

Joey Votto.  The voters have shown they are willing to award greatness, even if it isn't on the best team, or even a good team.  Votto lost by 2 points to Stanton last year, and I would argue he should have won it over the former Marlin.  He will beat out Nolan Arenado, the Cubs duo of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the Nats duo of Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon, and Paul Goldschmidt.

AL Cy Young

It is really hard to bet against Corey Kluber, right?  Even with Chris Sale, the Astros trio, Severino, and others right there with him, I think Corey Kluber can pull it off again and win another Cy Young.

NL Cy Young

I am not a bold enough fan that I would pick either Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg, though I think they will both be in the conversation if they can stay healthy, as will DeGrom, Syndergaard, and others.  But it is impossible not to bet on Clayton Kershaw, assuming his back holds out.  He finished second last year even though he missed a month of the season.  That is an amazing pitcher.




So there you have it.  As I am typing this, we are just under 12 hours from the start of the season.  Let's make it a good one, full of competition, hard play, peanuts, cracker jack, beer, hot dogs, home runs, limited mound visits, clutch hits, amazing catches, and a ton of happiness.  It is America's pastime after all.  Enjoy it.  Play ball!

March Madness 2018 Weekend 1- Terriers, Nuns, and the Return of the Orange

Well, that was some kind of weekend huh?  While we were all out enjoying our pints around St. Paddy's, there were some major upsets happening.  March Madness doesn't even begin to define it. 

- Arizona, with arguably the best player in the country, lost to Buffalo. 

- Loyala-Chicago, led by a 98-year old nun, has stampeded into the Sweet 16.

- My beloved Syracuse Orange, the last team into the tournament, has already won 3 games in 5 days on its way to breaking America's hearts and brackets. 

- The UMBC Terriers became the first 16-seed in the history of men's basketball to beat a #1, as it absolutely dominated UVA by 20, much to the delight of literally everyone... except UVA fans, of course.

- Xavier, Cincinnati, UNC, Miami, Aurbun- All gone.  Nevada, Florida State, Kansas State- Still dancing.



So, what to look forward to next weekend?

Midwest
In what can only be called the only true blue-blood bracket remaining, Syracuse gets to play potential spoiler again as it faces arguably the most talented team in the country, ACC foes Duke.  How torn the nation must be, having to decide between the team that didn't deserve to be there but wins, and the team everyone historically hates that, of course, still has Grayson Allen.  The winner of the matchup gets to take on the winner of #1 seed Kansas and the upset-minded Clemson Tigers, who completely dominated #4 Auburn in the Round of 32.  I'd guess that a Duke/Kansas matchup may be the result folks get on Sunday, but who knows with the way this tournament has gone so far.  In the end, Duke's talent may be just too much for anyone else to handle.

East
The East bracket is the only one in which only teams that were Top 5 seeds remain, led by #1 seed Villanova.  They have been dominant so far, as has their weekend opponent, the West Virginia Mountaineers.  The winner will take on upstart Texas Tech, who will look to take advantage of an injury to Purdue's second leading scorer, Isaac Haas.  One of these 1-seeds must make it through, and Villanova may be experienced enough to pull it off.

South
Either Nevada or Loyola will be in the Elite 8, as the two upstart Cinderellas meet in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.  The winner may have a a decent chance to get to the Final Four as well, as neither Kansas State nor Kentucky is without flaws.  I'd put my money on John Calipari, though, to bring his team through to San Antonio. 

West
Florida State vs Gonzaga.  Michigan vs Texas A&M.  What has happened to the West regional?  Michigan survived by a miracle over Houston, and A&M dominated the defending champs IN CHARLOTTE!  Maybe they peaked early, and Michigan is just lucky enough to advance.  They'd have to take on the winner of the Noles and Gonzaga, who should be able to punch their ticket back to the Final Four if they play at their best. 


So, I supposed those are my picks for the Final Four.  Villanova vs Duke, and Gonzaga vs Kentucky.  Of course, I had UVA, Arizona, and Michigan State in my original Final Four, so buyer beware.

Enjoy the games!