2015 Predictions

With the regular season nearly upon us, I thought it was time to make some predictions for how it'll all play out! Not only will I pick playoff participants, I'll pick the results of the postseason! And you can take these to the bank, for my predictions are never wrong. Ever.

When it comes to playoff results, it's easy to know which teams have a chance simply by being aware of the Oligopoly. Granted, I'm not 100% certain who is and is not in the Oligopoly, but it's generally a pretty reliable guideline to use what you know of it. So here you go:

AL West

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

The Athletics always find a way. They aren't a terribly compelling team, but they know how to maximize their potential.


AL Central

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

I still see Detroit as the best all-around team in the division. The Twins are my pick to be this year's surprise out-of-nowhere team, and I think the Royals have enough left from last year's run to contend again.


AL East

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

The Red Sox never stay down for long. Just when you think you won't have to worry about them for a while, they revamp their team and look like a contender again. I hate them.


NL West

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

The Dodgers are still the team to beat. The Padres have made a ton of moves, and I think it should boost them into a Wild Card spot this year, but that's about it.


NL Central

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

The Cardinals are pure evil. There's no way they don't win this division.


NL East

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

The Nationals may be the talk of baseball, but I predict they'll underachieve, and that the young Marlins will beat them out for the top spot. I wish it weren't so, but that's how these things go.


Playoffs:

AL Wild Card: Royals over Twins

ALDS 1: Royals over Red Sox
ALDS 2: Tigers over Athletics

ALCS: Royals over Tigers

NL Wild Card: Padres over Nationals

NLDS 1: Cardinals over Padres
NLDS 2: Marlins over Dodgers

NLCS: Cardinals over Marlins

World Series: Cardinals over Royals

The only Oligopoly teams I have making the Playoffs are the Red Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers, so we know one of them has to win it. Since the Giants and Cardinals have alternated NL pennants this decade, the Cardinals win by virtue of it being an odd-numbered year. The Marlins may be the exception to the Oligopoly, so I could possibly see them upsetting the Cards in the LCS and then winning the World Series to an empty house at Marlins Park, but I'll stick with the safe choice for now.

As for the Royals, I have them making it back on the momentum of last year's magical run. They'll give baseball a brief ray of hope when they upset the mighty Red Sox in the first round, then beat out the Tigers. Like the 2011 Rangers though, the Cardinals will let the Royals get close, only to steal it away in the end. The Cardinals will have their perfect narrative of avenging the Don Denkinger call 30 years later, and their obnoxious self-loving fans will walk around puffed up with bragging rights once again. Ugh. Stuff like this is the reason I'm not getting particularly excited about this season.