Prediction Time

My crystal ball says the World Series Trophy is heading here:
AT&T Park, the home of the Giants is already home to three previous champions this decade (2010, 2012 and 2014). So those who like mathematical patterns feel another title is already in the air. But there's a lot more behind my prediction.
Great starting pitching, as 2014 hero Madison Bumgarner is joined by free agent signees Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija. The balanced lineup built around Buster Posey, Brandon Belt. Hunter Pence and rising stars Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik, is productive in a Royals-ish sense. When healthy Angel Pagan and Denard Span can be igniters. And manager Bruce Bochy, already on track for Cooperstown, has been the steady hand behind three titles.
Their beautiful -- and pitching-friendly ballpark helps, too.
The Royals held onto a key cog in Alex Gordon. Much like the Giants, they play in a park that makes good pitchers more effective and downplays the home run. Once they get to October, they'll outpitch any of their AL rivals.
I like the Astros to remain among the elite. And their "tear it down to build it up later" philosophy is trendy -- the Phillies and Braves, especially, are following a similar blueprint. The Diamondbacks big spending spree and aggressive trades can jump them over the Dodgers into the post-season. Dusty Baker will settle a disruptive clubhouse in Washington and turn these underachievers into winners. The Cubs look like a powerhouse -- but do you really believe in their bullpen or the aging John Lackey working in a smaller ballpark?
Welcome to a 162 game journey -- where injuries, trades and unexpected improvements or declines can change anything and everything, sometimes instantly. So don't bet the farm or your IRA on these prognostications. Still, this is how I see 2016 playing out:

AL: Boston/ Toronto (Wild Card)/ KC/ Detroit (WC)/ Houston  Pennant: KC
NL: Washington/ Mets(WC)/ Chicago/ San Francisco/ Arizona(WC)  Pennant:  San Francisco
World Series Winner: San Francisco

Comments

jdgilbert@cbs.com said…
Glad you gave the Tigers some respect. Many haven't because they had such a bad finish last year. But, that was misleading. I see an AL Central dogfight between the Tigers and Royals. Either could finish first.
April 3, 2016 at 12:30 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Image
When the subject of baseball in Brooklyn comes up, the discussion centers around Ebbets Field, the Flatbush venue most famously home to The Boys of Summer.  Those legendary 1940s and '50s teams that featured such historic and beloved players as Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Ebbets Field hosted its last major league game in 1957 and was torn down during the winter of 1960. But decades earlier, just before World War One, the Dodgers were based in the Park Slope area and played at Washington Park.  Once they moved out, the land was occupied by another stadium, which housed a different franchise.  The upstart Federal League, which played in the 1914 and '15 seasons, had a Brooklyn team called the TipTops.  Owned by a local baking magnate Robert Ward, whose company produced TipTop bread, the club took over the abandoned lot along 3rd Street and built a new brick and steel venue. The only no-hitter in the Federal League's two-year r
Read more

Another Yankee Trade

Image
Yankee fans: here's a last look at shortstop Trey Sweeney .  The 2021 first round draft choice was part of the three player trade with the Dodgers that brings reliever Victor Gonzalez and infield prospect Jorbit Vivas to New York. Now seeking to rebuild their pitching depth after dealing for Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, the Yanks deemed Sweeney expendable.  While the Louisville native showed promising power in his three seasons with the organization -- he batted only .248 to go with his 36 career homers -- Brian Cashman has committed to Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza as his young middle infielders.  So Sweeney became a trade chip. ( My images of Trey Sweeney are from the Somerset/Binghamton AA games on July 15th and September 19th, 2023. )
Read more

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?

Image
The Yankees bolstered their starting rotation with Thursday's signing of Marcus Stroman .  The Long Island native, who spent 2019 and '21 with the Mets before moving onto the Cubs, brings a 77-76 career record to the Bronx, along with a recent loyalty to uniform number (?) zero.  If he requests that, he'd become the third Yank to wear it, following the path of Adam Ottavino and Domingo German.  Of course, neither of their Yankee tenures ended all that well -- Ottavino struggled badly in 2020, before reviving his career with the Red Sox and Mets; German's alcohol and domestic violence issues sabotaged such Yankee highlights as last year's perfect game. Can a number truly be lucky? You can understand kids in little league or high school ball wanting to wear 2 in honor of Derek Jeter or 7 for Mickey Mantle.  But is there an heroic ballplayer associated with 0?  The closest I recall comes from pro football, where the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wore 00
Read more