“You wanna make God laugh? Have a plan” – Tracy Jordan
Ah yes, as Spring Training moves along, and we march towards Opening Day of the 2018 season, Let’s take a look at some headlines this season could bring….
The Brew Crew Rings True: Brewers win the NL Central
Thanks to strong performances from newly acquired free agent Jake Arrieta, and an outfield of Braun, Cain, and Yelich, and the key addition of Chris Archer from the Rays at the trade deadline, the Brewers overtook the Chicago Cubs and rolled into their first postseason appearance since 2011, and roll into the World Series, defeating the heavily favored LA Dodgers in a dramatic 7 game NLCS.
Red Rage: The Nationals Lose the NLDS…. AGAIN
The Nationals cruised to another NL East title, yet could not get over the hump to advance past the Division Series for the fifth time in their franchise history. All this despite strong performances from Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner. This will force the Nationals to evaluate whether a rebuild is in their immediate future.
The “Baby Braves” are Back!
Thanks to outstanding performances from Ozzie Albies, Sean Newcomb, Ronald Acuna, coupled with typical outstanding hitting from Freddie Freeman and a Dansby Swanson revival, the Braves surprise everyone and claw their way into a Wild Card berth, surging past the flailing Cubs (plagued by injuries and underperformance) as the season winds down.
The Beasts in the AL East: Yanks and Sox go Down to the Wire
A dramatic race in the AL East brings back memories of the early 2000’s, as the Yankees and Red Sox battle down to the final week of the season, with the Yankees ultimately coming out on top. The teams finished a long ways above the rest of the division, as the Blue Jays succumb to injuries, and Baltimore and Tampa never really having a chance.
New Look Angels get Wings, Fly into Postseason
The “winners” of the off-season capitalized on their revamped roster, with Mike Trout leading the way and key contributions from slugger Justin Upton, two way phenom Shohei Othani, and a bounce back performance from Kole Calhoun, the Angels kept up with the top tier teams in the American League to easily grab the 2nd wild card spot, and make their first postseason appearance since 2014.
NL MVP: Nolan Arenado
AL MVP: Mike Trout
NL CY YOUNG: Zack Greinke
AL CY YOUNG: Corey Kluber
Postseason Predictions:
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
Wild Card:
Arizona Diamondbacks def. Atlanta Braves
NLDS:
Milwaukee Brewers def. Washington Nationals
Los Angeles Dodgers def. Arizona Diamondbacks
NLCS:
Milwaukee Brewers def. Los Angeles Dodgers
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
Wild Card:
Los Angeles Angels def. Red Sox
ALDS:
New York Yankees def. Los Angeles Angels
Houston Astros def. Cleveland Indians
ALCS:
Houston Astros def. New York Yankees
World Series: Houston Astros def. Milwaukee Brewers (4-1)
let’s hope this goes better than last year…..
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