Five Predictions for the 2016 MLB Season
Etai Barash ‘18
The 2016 Major League Baseball season has officially started
and is already a very exciting season. Plenty of things have shocked fans, made
them laugh and made them stare in awe at the physical and mental attributes of
baseball players. Not all of these events were expected, but there are some
things that one can expect at the end of the season; five of them to be
specific.
Outfielders Mike Trout and Bryce Harper will finally win MVP
Awards in the same season. The 2012 Rookies of the Year, of the Anaheim Angels
and Washington Nationals, respectively, both improved their home run numbers
and batting averages last season and it’s safe to say that they could improve
on more than just those statistics in 2016. Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris
Sale and New York Mets pitcher Jacob DeGrom will win the Cy Young Awards for
their respective leagues. Both very underrated pitchers, these two know how to
come up clutch in crucial situations and strike out a handful of batters each.
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to reach the National
League postseason for the sixth straight season, but it won’t happen. The
competition from Pittsburgh and Chicago are too tough of competitors in the
Central Division and revamped teams such as the San Francisco Giants and
Nationals are more likely to win either the first, second, or both league Wild
Card spots. St. Louis has a mix of young talent and veteran leadership, but
compared to rival rosters, it’s unlikely that they play October baseball.
While the Cardinals will take a back seat this fall, the
Boston Red Sox will not. A rejuvenated pitching corps and a young nucleus of
upcoming superstars will jumpstart the Sox to the top of the American League
East. Offseason pitching acquisitions like starter David Price and closer Craig
Kimbrel will greatly help a pitching staff that was ranked toward the bottom of
the league last year in terms of earned runs allowed.
Miami outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is finally going to use
that bug repellent to get rid of the injury bug. There is no possible way he
will suffer yet another mid-season injury that cuts his season short. Instead,
the Marlins’ slugger will smack a career-high 50 home runs, based off of talent
alone.
The defending champion Kansas City Royals are still the
powerhouse they were last year. The only key bat they lost during the offseason
was infielder Ben Zobrist, who signed with the Cubs, and their pitching stayed
relatively the same. The entire Royals lineup is still filled with All Stars
who, for some reason, don’t strike out. Expect them to be holding up the World
Series trophy at the end of the 2016 Fall Classic because they’re repeating
and, maybe, will grow into one of baseball’s greatest dynasties.