By Seth Tow, Editor-in-Chief
Spring Training has arrived, which means baseball is back for another season. 2015 is the first year under the leadership of new commissioner Rob Manfred. Manfred took over for Bud Selig in January 2015 following Selig’s retirement.
The league is much more wide-open and harder to predict this year compared to past years. Nonetheless, I will do my best to make picks for the year.
In the American League, I like the Boston Red Sox in the East, the Chicago White Sox in the Central, and the Seattle Mariners in the West, with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays taking the Wild Cards. These picks are somewhat bold, as there is only one team in the field that was in the playoffs in 2014 (Baltimore). However, this is reflective of the amount of change the teams in this league has gone through, and just how wide open it is.
The Red Sox acquired two of the biggest names on the market in Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, and added pitching. Pair that with the pieces they have remaining from their 2013 title, and Boston is back in contention. Chicago added multiple pitchers to go along with ace Chris Sale, who seems to improve with every year that passes. Last year, this was a young team; this year, their young guys have gained maturity, and they have added veterans to make this team competitive once again. Seattle may be the most underrated team in the league heading into the season, adding slugger DH Nelson Cruz and underrated OF Seth Smith to their lineup that already had 2B Robinson Cano and emerging 3B Kyle Seager, and they already had one of the best rotations in the league, and are outstanding defensively. Baltimore lost a lot of pieces and didn’t do a whole lot to replace them, but they didn’t need to. They were able to fill most of the holes internally, and many of their key pieces remain from 2014 (including 3B Manny Machado and C Matt Wieters who will return from injuries). This is still a playoff-quality team. Finally, Toronto drastically improved their lineup this winter. They 3B acquired Josh Donaldson, C Russell Martin, and OF Michael Saunders, among others, will provide much-needed support in the lineup for Jose Reyes, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion. This team has been on the cusp for a few years now, and the moves they made this offseason should put them over the hump.
In the National League, I have the Washington Nationals in the East, the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the West, with the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins rounding out the field as wild cards. All three division winners won their divisions last year, and they all improved their teams in some way this offseason. The two newcomers, San Diego and Miami, were arguably the two biggest winners of this winter, making a large number of moves to put their respective teams on the map.
Washington had the best record in the National League in 2014, and they should have similar expectations for 2015. Their rotation is easily the best in the league, adding 2013 AL Cy Young Max Scherzer to their already-deep rotation. This team is the deepest team in the NL, and the only thing holding them back from bringing home a World Series is themselves – with every disappointing playoff exit, the playoff demons and monkeys on their backs grow larger and larger. St. Louis did not have too many big moves this winter, with their only big acquisition being OF Jason Heyward from Atlanta. But this team is still very solid, and they find a way to win every year, and that won’t change in 2015. The Dodgers face stiff competition from the San Diego Padres and reigning champion San Francisco Giants, but they are still the best team in the division. SP Clayton Kershaw is still the best player at his position in baseball. All-around, this is a very solid team, with fewer question marks than the Padres or Giants, which is why I picked them. San Diego was very, very busy this winter. Their acquisitions include OF Matt Kemp, SP James Shields, OF Wil Myers, C Derek Norris, OF Justin Upton, and SP Brandon Morrow. This team has the bats to compete with nearly anyone in the league. The pitching is still somewhat of a question, especially in the bullpen, and the defense is a big question mark. Regardless, San Diego will surely be in the race, and I see them locking up their first playoff spot since 2006. Miami also enjoyed a productive offseason, adding SP Mat Latos, 1B/OF Michael Morse, and 2B Dee Gordon. They also locked up superstar OF Giancarlo Stanton to a 13-year, $325 million contract (which is backloaded so it’s team-friendly for the first few years of the deal). The Marlins will get stud SP Jose Fernandez back from injury as well. Throw all of those guys in with their other budding young talent, and Miami has their most solid squad in years. Look for them to build on their major improvement in 2014 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2003.
I have Boston vs. Seattle in the ALCS, and Washington vs. St. Louis in the NLCS. The Red Sox and Mariners are two teams that are fairly evenly matched. They both have well-rounded lineups and solid pitching. Boston has more playoff experience, but Seattle does have some guys that have been there before. I think Felix Hernandez is the best pitcher in this matchup, and Seattle has the advantage in the bullpen. Because of this, I like the Mariners to raise some eyebrows and advance to their first World Series in franchise history. The Nationals will achieve their first-ever victory in a playoff series, but I don’t think that will rid them of the playoff demons surrounding their team. The Cardinals are a team that seem to regularly have the Nationals’ number, and I think that will re-emerge in this NLCS. St. Louis will advance to the World Series for the third time in the last five years.
In the World Series, I’m picking the Mariners. I think they will have the best pitcher in the series (Hernandez), and the best hitter in the series (Robinson Cano). I don’t really have a lot of reasoning behind my pick, I just have that feeling in my gut. If the bold pick turns out right, you heard it here first.