Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: WVUA FM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: And hello, everyone. Welcome to student section MLB here. Hope everyone's enjoying their Valentine's Day. I'm your host Luke Anderson, joined here with Tyler Harrison and Tyler this past Sunday we saw Super Bowl Sunday, so you know what that means, right?
[00:00:24] Speaker A: It's finally baseball season is baseball season.
[00:00:29] Speaker B: And we got some baseball predictions for you guys today. Not a lot of news in this past week that has been new since our last show, but that means that we can go over our predictions for spring training and for the rest of the season. So one thing that is new is Jorge Salair, one of the better free agents who is still available, coming right before spring training, has signed with the San Francisco Giants. Tyler, what do you think?
[00:00:56] Speaker A: In all honesty, the Giants I've never hated. I don't think that's a pickup enough to make them a contender. Like I told you before the show, I think the most you'll get out of horse hay. Solaire is good production with a bat. I think he'll be the first right handed batter to hit one into McCavy Cove on no bounce. I told Luke, I said it would be splash hit 98. So everyone write that down and when I'm right I get owed something.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: Yeah, I think Jorge definitely has the power to do that. I mean, a splash, it is hard for a righty go on opposite field over there, but Jorge Slair, decent pickup. I think the Giants need a lot of pitching personally, but it seems like so far in free agency they've been targeting bats. They got Jung ho Li from NPB, who is very highly touted out of there. I think that was their best hitting prospect out in Japan and the Giants landed him and now they have Jorge Solaire. So they're kind of loading up the middle of the lineup there. I mean, their lineup this past season was, I'd say, fairly solid. They have guys like Mets legends like JD Davis, Wilmer Flores and Michael Conforto who produced decently in the lineup. I forget who their rookie catcher is, right?
[00:02:08] Speaker A: Patrick Bailey.
[00:02:09] Speaker B: Patrick Bailey. He's looking to be the successor to Buster Posey. That's going to be a hard thing to do.
[00:02:17] Speaker A: That's a lot of shoes to fill. But he is defensively amazing. He is a switchbat, which is always preferred really at any position because you always play matchup. But I haven't seen a lot of power out of him. But he gets good contact, so you give him a little bit of development. Like you said, he is a rookie. I'm not expecting 50 home runs out of him every season. That's not what a catcher does.
[00:02:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think that their lineup is going to be pretty good. I think Bailey will develop. Like you said, he's a stud defensively, which is important for catchers, especially the hardest defensive position to play. You would know Tyler, having played it, was a catcher. But I mean, their lineup is decent, but I just think their pitching is too much of an issue. I mean, they got teams like the Diamondbacks making moves for Eduardo Rodriguez and you got, obviously the Dodgers. We don't even really need to say anything more about them.
[00:03:10] Speaker A: Multiple shows on just the Dodgers.
[00:03:12] Speaker B: I mean, if they're competing against those two teams, the Diamondbacks are a super young team who's going to have, I mean, they just won the pennant and they're going to develop and they've made moves for pitching the Padres. I'm not too high on the Padres for this season, but we'll get in on that later. But I mean, they're still a solid team as well that the Giants are going to have to play multiple series against those three clubs and Logan Webb can only start one game in every series for you at a cy young level and I don't know what they have after him in the rotation.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: Agree. Now moving on from that, with Jorge Salair being the only signing, we haven't seen anything from Bellinger, Snell, if you want to, we can move straight into predictions for division winners, award winners.
[00:03:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, going off of like we could start with the National League west out there, but we can just talk about what we think is going to happen in the season. I mean, spring training is starting soon. We'll know next week, I think. Right. We'll have some spring training updates for the next show?
[00:04:11] Speaker A: Yes, I believe so.
[00:04:12] Speaker B: So we can make way too early predictions starting now.
Guess we can get started in the National League West. Tyler, what do you got?
[00:04:19] Speaker A: So National League West? I believe that, like you said, I don't see a lot of production out of the Giants. I fully believe that the Dodgers are going to win that division even if they don't put up the 140 wins that they're expected to. I believe they're going to win the division. I think Diamondbacks still make the playoffs. I think they have about the same year that they did. But instead of getting off to a hot start and having a ten game lead in the division, I think they battle with Los Angeles and Los Angeles pulls away by about six, seven games at the end of the season. So both of them make it but for the NL West, I have the Los Angeles Dodgers taking that division.
[00:05:00] Speaker B: I feel like I would be silly to say anything otherwise.
It would be very fun to see another team win that division. But with 162 games and this Dodgers roster being one of the best ones we've seen assembled on paper in, I don't know, ten years, at least.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Ten is an understatement. Like 30.
[00:05:19] Speaker B: But I mean, they're just so well balanced. Assuming they could stay healthy and things can go right. I mean, the issue with the Dodgers has never been the regular season. They've always won enough games. It's always the postseason. So, I mean, you got to assume they'll at least win the division still. I think they win over 110 games next season.
I think they could.
[00:05:44] Speaker A: On paper, yes, 110 seems like that should be the floor, but at the same time, 110 games is not something you just regularly see.
[00:05:54] Speaker B: Yeah, that is very true.
[00:05:55] Speaker A: Seem to do it. Was the Dodgers what they do? They won 111 games last year and they lost to the Padres.
[00:06:03] Speaker B: Well, in 2021, the Giants won the division, having won 111 games, and then they win 111. I think it was something like that. Oh, my God. I think so. And the Giants got beat in five by the Dodgers in the division series. That was the unfortunate Wilmer Flores check. Swing. That wasn't a swing. That ended that series, but that was a good year for the Giants. Wow. Yeah.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: In 2021, Dodgers finished with 100 and 656. Giants finished with 100 and 755.
[00:06:33] Speaker B: Okay, there we go. So still not even 110.
[00:06:36] Speaker A: That's what I was saying. The year after that. The year after that, the Dodgers, I think, won 111 games and then lost to the Padres. And that was.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. Well, 2022.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Was cs ever with the Phillies and Padres?
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Yes, that was an interesting one, the battle of the Nolas. But I think that the diamondback. I do agree, the Diamondbacks will make the playoffs once again. I think it's hard to say that a team that just won the pennant is going to miss the playoffs entirely. I think the Diamondbacks can win 90 games. I think they got pretty close to that this past season, right?
[00:07:06] Speaker A: That sounds right. Yeah. I think they were at 88 this season, 90 with development. I mean, you'd have a stud in Corbin Carroll. And like you said, they got Eduardo Rodriguez.
[00:07:16] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, Eduardo Rodriguez is an ace for sure in the league right now. And I think Corbin Carroll, how many steals did he have this season? Was he 70 or was that Acunya someone this season?
[00:07:27] Speaker A: No, Acunya had the 40 70. Corbin Carroll.
Corbin Carroll. Had a third. No, he didn't have a 30 50 season. He had.
[00:07:34] Speaker B: I thought he did have something like 50 steals at least.
[00:07:37] Speaker A: He had a 25 50 season as.
[00:07:39] Speaker B: A rookie, and I think he could easily put up 60 steals at least. Yes, and he'll continue to produce offensively. In terms of power, his power is going to improve. I think their lineup has improved. They've had a good offseason. So I think they definitely win more games than last year. They'll take that second place spot. And I think the Giants finish above the Padres. But I think all those teams, I think the Padres and Giants kind of both finish around 500, kind of like this season. And the Rockies, unfortunately, are the Rockies.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: Yeah, I forget they're in that division. I don't think they'll ever be.
[00:08:11] Speaker B: I mean, it's very hard when you play 81 games of your season, are playing an elevation where it's impossible to pitch young winner? I know. I mean, they have had very few good pitchers, let alone Sai Young, just decent pitchers. But it's hard to do mean. So they got to find a way to. I mean, I don't even know even good pitchers there don't pitch well. So it's going to be really hard for the Rockies to ever make it back to the World Series or I mean, even just the playoffs. But I think the Dodgers will take the NL west as well. I think the Dodgers finish as the number one team in baseball. I mean, I don't think that's a hot take, but I think they'll finish and first in the entire national League. But going from there, we can move on to the National League Central.
[00:08:58] Speaker A: The National League Central. In my predictions, I said I think Cincinnati takes it. They've had a good offseason.
[00:09:07] Speaker B: They went on a what, 17 game.
[00:09:10] Speaker A: Win streak midseason out of nowhere.
Matt McClain. If Ellie de la Cruz can cut down his strikeout numbers, if they can get some good pitching, like some ace material out of Hunter Green, all of that. I think with that not being the strongest of divisions, I said Cincinnati would win that. If Chicago does not resign Cody Bellinger, if they resign him. I think Chicago takes that because getting on later in the show, I have Justin Steele as the National League Cy Young winner. If Snell doesn't sign in the think definitely.
[00:09:42] Speaker B: I think Blake Snell could sign with the Cubs.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: Oh goodness.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: To fill the Marcus Strowman hole, which is pretty hard to fill. I mean, Strowman pitched very well for Chicago last season, but I think Chicago, especially if they sign Bellinger they do have the lineup to get it done. I mean, they were only a few games away. They were winning for the majority of the end of the season. Well, not maybe in early August. They had a hold on the division and I mean, they were one terrible stretch away from making the playoffs last year if it weren't for losing like six of their last seven or something. I mean, they just finished the season so poorly. It was just summed up by that Seiya Suzuki error in the outfield kind of summed up the whole series.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: I felt bad for him, even though the Braves were playing him at the time.
Everyone was looking at the statistics of it. He makes that catch, they make the playoffs. And then they lost four games after that. And I felt terrible.
[00:10:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, there's no doubt was, I think every game that series, or at least two games that series, I checked the score and they were playing the Braves and I was like, oh, wow, the Cubs are beating the Braves by four runs. And then they lost both those games and missed the playoffs, which was sad to see because they have a fun team. I mean, Dansby Swanson is amazing player. Cody Bellinger's season was so fun to watch, especially after people wrote him off for him falling off in think. If I do think Bellinger does resign there, I think the fact that there has been no rumors or anything about it means that he's just kind of working a deal with them in private because they don't need to publicize something like that because maybe he didn't even really test the market. He knew he wanted to go back there and they've just kind of been trying to keep it underground, the numbers talk. And so that way other teams didn't overbid on him or something and he didn't want to leave.
I do think he resigns there, and I would say that after that they will win the division. I do think that the Reds would finish second, though.
[00:11:33] Speaker A: Yes, I agree. That's what I wrote down. I said Cincinnati wins the division if Bellinger doesn't resign. If Bellinger resigns, I think Cincinnati comes in second. I could not come up with an answer on whether they would make the playoffs or not because I don't know how the National League race would end up.
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Yeah, it just depends on all the teams, because there are a lot of teams that can win 90 games this year, especially in the national League. In the middle of that, I think.
[00:11:55] Speaker A: There'S kind of, I think the obvious two teams in the National League that are going to be powerhouses is Atlanta and Los Angeles, but then maybe nine or ten different teams are all going to be fighting one, two games apiece going into the last month of the season.
[00:12:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I think that obviously both central divisions are generally more competitive because I think the teams are just more evenly matched in those. You don't have teams like the Dodgers overpowering in the NL west or generally the Yankees in the AL east. Unfortunately not this year for Luke, but I think that the Cubs will win it. I think that the Reds can make the playoffs. I think the Reds are a 90 win ceiling team as well. I think they can win 90 games and I don't even think that's their hard ceiling. I think they could win somewhere in the games. I think they will definitely finish above 500 this year and I think that could be worth a playoff spot, like you said, depending on what it looks like otherwise, I think the Cardinals are an interesting team. They made a bunch of moves for some guys like Sonny Gray and just some older guys in their rotation. It's going to be really interesting to see how their rotation plays out with how old these guys just.
[00:13:06] Speaker A: I didn't even consider the Cardinals, unfortunately, and I have a good friend who's a Cardinals fan. The fall off of Paul Goldschman after winning the MVP and then Aronado, the fall off offensively, and I'm not going to say fall off defensively, but he won eight straight Gold Gloves and then he wasn't a finalist. You can say fall off all you want. I think just the two fall offs of their two best players, I couldn't put them in any contention, at least this year.
[00:13:31] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, no doubt Paul Goldschmidt won the MVP two seasons ago and this year was his title defense and he had kind of a mediocre one of his worst seasons for him. And I mean, it was a rough season following an MVP and like you said, aronado is just getting older. I mean, he is a definitely hall of Fame candidate player. I mean, he's one of the best defensive third basemen to play the game. But right now, like you said, he wasn't nominated for the Gold Glove. Doesn't mean he still doesn't have it. Defensively he does, but offensively he is losing the touch. Like you said, just the whole team is getting older. I mean, they've always had these veteran guys stay for a long time. Wayno just retired, Yachty and Molina retired, pooholes retired. And that's kind of how their franchise has been. They've kind of had these franchise guys who just stay there and all the moves they made for pitchers. Like I said, older guys, we'll see how it plays out. But I don't know if. I mean, I just like these younger teams more like the Reds and the Cubs. I think the Pirates could be fun, but it's hard to tell because they didn't make a lot of moves in the offseason and the division. Like we said, we talked about production.
[00:14:37] Speaker A: Out of Brian Reynolds and you need O'Neill Cruz to come back healthy and like with Ellie de la Cruz, you need his strikeout numbers to go down, too.
[00:14:45] Speaker B: Yeah, a hundred percent. And I mean, Pirates pitching has always been a question, and they haven't made moves there as well. Like we talked about with the Rockies. I mean, the Pirates are definitely way better than the Rockies, but it's kind of the same thing. You got to make moves or like the Giants. I think the Pirates are in the same position as the Giants. I think they have the potential spark in the lineup, but the pitching is just too concerning for me. And I think the Brewers. I think it's kind of weird to tell where the last three places are going to finish. I don't know if the brewers are going to go from winning the division to going into last place, but they did just trade their best player for what seems like nothing and they were already only like a 90 win team with him, so it's going to be hard to tell. I don't think they'll make the playoffs. I don't really think they have much of a chance. I think they're going to finish sub 500, but I don't know how the Pirates or Cardinals will play out. So maybe that's not worth last in the division. Who knows?
[00:15:35] Speaker A: Who knows?
[00:15:36] Speaker B: We can move on to the NL east before our first break here. I mean, I can imagine who you think will win this one.
[00:15:43] Speaker A: Tyler, biased or not, anybody who watches baseball casually can tell you that Atlanta's offense, they could get four errors a game and their offense is going to get them 95 wins.
And this is not any hate towards you. I know you're a Mets fan. I think Atlanta finishes in first by a few games. I think Phillies and Mets tie. I think that comes down to a game. 163 honestly. And then Nationals, I forget you exist. And Marlins, you were fun for a little bit, but your best player had two home runs all season and Jazz Chisholm is overrated. So I think Atlanta finishes first in the NL East. I don't think there's really a question there.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: Yeah, as much as I wish I could come here and say the Mets are going to win, I do think the Braves are going to win. I have to kind of be realistic. The Braves are going to win 100 games again this season? I believe so. I think their lineup is only going to get better. I mean, their pitching is getting better. Assuming Chris Sale could pitch more than two games without injuring himself again.
[00:16:52] Speaker A: If I get half a season out of him, I'll be happy.
[00:16:54] Speaker B: But they've made the moves that they need to make to be better than they were last year and they were 100 win team last year. So you only got to assume that they'll be better. I think the Phillies are going to take a step back, but I do think they'll finish kind of like you said Tyler, maybe tied with or right around where the Mets place as the.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: Phillies are going to be fighting for not only a wild card spot but fighting for second place. I don't really think there's going to be a competition for first in that division.
[00:17:19] Speaker B: Yeah, I think the Braves are going to run away with it pretty easily in early.
Mean, I kind of agree with you. We know our division pretty well. So I think we kind of think the same way. The Nationals, I think they are going to develop more this year, but as of now their windows two to three.
[00:17:35] Speaker A: Years away, 500 instead of 30.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: Yeah, and I think like exactly like you said, the Marlins, I mean, their post trade deadline season I kind of think is hinting toward foreshadowing their season this year. I mean, after the trade deadline, the Marlins did not play good baseball. So I think that's going to kind of happen this season. They're going to fall off a little bit. It was nice to see. Like you said, I do think they are a very fun team. I do think jazz is a little overrated as well, but he is very fun to watch and I do think they have some good guys.
Hope. I really hope Sandy bounces back.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: I hope so, too, because he had a fall off like Alec Manoa. It was sad to watch because Sandy, he's an iron horse when it comes. He's like the Lou Garrig of pitchers because he's the only pitcher now who you can get seven innings out of and not worry about arm injury, which may screw him over in a couple of years. But he has more complete games in two seasons than like 90% of the entire league does.
[00:18:35] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. I mean, that's part of why maybe he lost it a little bit. I mean, he pitches way more than anyone else, but his si young season was very fun to watch. And I mean, we talked about Paul Goldschmitz fall off from the mvp season. I mean, Sandy's fall off from the Cy Young was even worse than was.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: It was sad to watch. I can't even be mad at it.
[00:18:52] Speaker B: I mean, if Sandy had pitched at even not at the Cy Young level he pitched at, but maybe a little worse than that, the Marlins would have won an extra, maybe even ten games and they would have moved up in the wild card and who knows what would have happened in the playoffs if he was reliable and not injured at the end of the season. But I think the Marlins will finish fourth. I'm going to be hopeful and say the Mets will finish above the Phillies by a game or two. I do think the Phillies will take a step back, and I'm trying to be unbiased when I say that it is a little biased, but I do think the Phillies will step back just a little. They do have a lot of guys there that are also getting older, so we'll have to see. I think the Mets are interesting this year. I mean, I am a huge fan, so I hope they do well. I do think they have an interesting team, though, that can compete, though. And I think that they can get a seven or maybe six seed in the playoffs. I can, sorry, a six or five seed rather.
I was thinking of football for a second, too, worked up about the Super bowl. But that's our predictions for the National League. We're about to go to our first break here, but stay tuned as we'll go over our american league predictions and just general playoffs and awards. So feel free to stay on in.
[00:20:17] Speaker A: WVUaFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:20:27] Speaker B: Welcome back, everybody, to student section MLB here on 90.7. I am your host Luke Anderson, joined.
[00:20:34] Speaker A: Here with Tyler Harrison.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: And on the last section, we recapped what our early, early predictions are for the National League standings. And now let's get into American League. Tyler, if you want to start, let's go west to east again.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: All right, west to east. So if we're starting Al west. So I went a little out there. I have extremely high hopes for Seattle. I have high hopes for Seattle. I think the Astros fall off with the loss of Dusty Baker, even resigning out. They're going to be the Astros. They're going to be over 500. They're going to be. Well, I think it comes down to a three team race again. I think it goes Rangers, Mariners, Astros. The only thing that I wrote in my notes was that I don't think the Astros win first, but if the Rangers get Scherzer and deGrom back at levels that we know them to be able to reach, I think the Rangers could walk away. Not run away. I think they could walk away with that division.
If they don't get them back, Seattle takes it. And I mean, that's just where I stand. I think Cal rally, Jrod, I think Andres Munoz and the bull helping the bullpen out. I think the Mariners have a good all around lineup, but the Rangers, if the Rangers can come off of their World Series win with a man who would have won MVP if it wasn't for the best baseball player we've seen in the last 100 years. Shohei. Corey Seeger would have won MVP.
Their entire infield went to the all star game. It was Josh Jung, Corey Seeger, Marcus Simeon, Jonah Heim. And then you got the outfield of Dolis Garcia.
Actually, no, I changed my pick. I think the Rangers win the west.
[00:22:20] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it's going to be hard to beat them. I mean, reigning World Series champs over there. I mean, like you said, not only just with the bats, but with the all star game. I mean, they have incredible defense over there. It was so fun to watch in the mean. Josh Young is. I mean, it's his second year. Was that his rookie season or his.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Second year all star? I don't think he was starter, but he was an all star in his rookie season, right. And was nominated for a Gold Glove. He got an MVP.
[00:22:48] Speaker B: I think he won the gold.
Well, I thought he won it this past season. I don't know. I was looking at the Gold Glove winners and the Rangers I think had like three or four. I know Lowe won it at first. Jonah won it at coucher. And I mean, Josh Young was lights out defensively in the playoffs.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: He did win it.
[00:23:06] Speaker B: See?
[00:23:06] Speaker A: An amazing rookie.
[00:23:07] Speaker B: So, I mean, they have the defense easily, I think the best defense in the league.
And defense wins championships, as they say. That was Corny, I know, and that's also kind of the last thing that's important for baseball. Like I said, I'm still on the football.
I mean, you got to focus on their pitching and their bats. And they have Corey Seeger, they have Marcus Simeon, they have adoles Garcia. I mean, all three of those guys can hit two home runs any given game. And you got Nathan Iovaldi still, I mean, at this point with kind of where I feel about Cody Bellinger, I think with how little we've seen with Jordan Montgomery, I feel like that's hinting towards him resigning because I don't think he wants a longer term deal. And Texas can give him a shorter term deal because their window is right now and Jordan Montgomery will help if he comes back. That's great. Like you said, if deGrom and Scherzer come back this season and they can pitch, I mean, deGrom has always come back from injury. That's never been a question. He's been injured his whole career. I mean, I would know.
[00:24:11] Speaker A: He's always come back from injury just to go right back.
[00:24:13] Speaker B: Exactly. But when he does come back and pitches, he's incredible. I mean, I was there when deGrom pitched his first game back at City Field after injury, and he lit up the Braves for five. Perfect then. So that was a fun one. But degrom should be lights out assuming he doesn't get re injured. I know there were talks mean well. I don't think there were serious talks. I think it was more so fans discussing the potential to move him to the bullpen to try to help not get him injured anymore, which isn't the worst idea. But I think they're paying him too much money and he's too good as a starter to move, and it's worth the risk of him getting injured again.
[00:24:53] Speaker A: So, yes, you could get two solid innings out of him every other day, or you could get six to seven solid innings out of him every five days.
[00:25:02] Speaker B: I mean, it's not like they have a super rotation that they need to move deGrom. They need degrom in the rotation. But with that being said, I am very high on the Rangers again. I was high on them during the whole playoffs. I had them winning the World Series at the beginning of the playoffs last season. I do think they're going to win the west again. Well, not again. Actually, they didn't win it this past season. They barely lost, I think, to win it for real this season. But I think it's going to be another one of those three way races. I think the Mariners stay competitive in it longer. They were kind of out of it with a week left to play. I think it's gonna come down to the last day between all three of those teams. I think the Mariners are going to be very, very good this year. And I mean, the Astros are always the Astros, and they just picked up Josh Hader.
[00:25:46] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:46] Speaker B: I mean, it's very hard to count them out, but I do think the Rangers pull away with it. I mean, we haven't talked about the Angels or A's but frankly, we don't need to.
[00:25:55] Speaker A: No. The Angels have an older mike Trout. You're not going to see an MVP season.
[00:26:00] Speaker B: I think he's going to request a trade as well.
[00:26:02] Speaker A: I think so, too. And the Athletics can't figure out where they're going to play baseball at.
[00:26:06] Speaker B: Yeah, no one wants them. Vegas doesn't even want them anymore.
[00:26:10] Speaker A: Athletics don't want them.
[00:26:12] Speaker B: So, I mean, it's going to be hard to tell. I wonder what the over under win count is for them this season.
[00:26:17] Speaker A: The Athletics? Yeah, I'm saying 51 and a half over under, and I'm taking the under.
[00:26:24] Speaker B: I don't know if they can win 50 games this year, which is sad.
[00:26:27] Speaker A: I'm just trying to be nice to.
[00:26:29] Speaker B: Them, especially with those other three teams in their division. I mean, those are losses. I mean, every game they swept us in a series. That is true.
[00:26:36] Speaker A: Three game series against them, and they beat us all three times.
[00:26:39] Speaker B: They beat the Mets a couple times. So I mean, you can't count them out, but at the same time you kind of can. But I think the Mariners would finish third. Then I think it'll go Texas, Houston and Seattle. And it's going to be really tough to tell because the American League east is also phenomenal. But I think all three American League west teams make the playoffs this time around. Yes, but we have to see, because the east will get there after the Central, but the east is incredibly stacked with talent. I think all five of those teams have the potential to win 90 games, but we'll get to that after we talk about the American League Central. Tyler, what do you got?
[00:27:16] Speaker A: It's the most boring division in baseball. I think if you can get a full season out of Byron Buxton, you can get some. Okay production out of Carlos Santana.
You can get some expected production out of Carlos Correa. Maybe a little more power. Keep your gold glove status and make your contact get a little, I mean, Johann Duran in the bullpen.
Who else? Pablo Lopez. He's still on the Twins, correct? Not Pablo Lopez.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: No, Pablo. It is Pablo.
[00:27:46] Speaker A: It is Pablo. No, because Sonny Gray is.
[00:27:48] Speaker B: Sonny Gray is on the Cardinals. And I always get them confused. But Jorge Lopez, another pitcher, is now on the Mets. So Pablo Lopez is still under contract in Minnesota, and he had an amazing season last, so, and in the playoffs especially, I mean, he was lights out.
[00:28:04] Speaker A: Like I said, I think the Twins will win the division, but that's not me saying, oh, they're going to run away with it. They're going to have a great season. No, the Twins are going to win the central. That's how boring the division is. I think the Royals finished second.
That's the hottest take I have. I think the Royals finish second because I like Bobby Witt Jr.
I'll submit him right now. I think he's going to be hall of Fame at the end of his career, but the Royals need help everywhere else except shortstop.
[00:28:31] Speaker B: Yeah. I think this is my one kind of fun prediction. I think everything I've said otherwise is kind of typical, but I actually do think the Royals will win the American League Central.
[00:28:42] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:28:42] Speaker B: I think they're a very interesting team this season. They made a lot of moves this offseason, a lot of productive moves this signed. I know they signed Seth Lugo, which is an interesting one because they do need pitching and he had a pretty solid season in San Diego. So I'm trying to pull up specifically what other moves they've made.
[00:29:02] Speaker A: They signed Will Smith, who's been on the World Series winning roster.
[00:29:05] Speaker B: That's right. That's right.
[00:29:06] Speaker A: Which is a good sign. Kansas City.
[00:29:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:09] Speaker A: Welcome.
[00:29:10] Speaker B: They have Hunter Renfro now who is solid. They have. Trying to see who else, Jordan Lyles.
[00:29:16] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:29:17] Speaker B: So I mean, they got some, I mean, I wouldn't say great pieces, but Bobby Witt Jr. Is going to have one of maybe the best sophomore seasons. We'll see. I think he just signed a super extension already.
[00:29:32] Speaker A: I think full deserved. Full deserved.
[00:29:34] Speaker B: And I think it is too. And I think he's going to have to. I mean, I don't think anyone is doubting it. I think everyone kind of feels like it's justified. I mean, he improved or not sophomore, I guess. Is this going to be his third season?
Technically second full season, yeah.
[00:29:50] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:29:51] Speaker B: But I mean, he's improved so much defensively. He's one of the best base runners. It's between him and Corbin Carroll in terms of base running. I mean, it's so fun to see two young guys just lighting up the base pads, but I mean, insane base runner, he's shown flashes of power and I mean, you know, after signing an eleven year deal like this, you know, he's going to come out and show why he got this eleven year deal. So I definitely think he's in the race for American League MVP this upcoming season. I think he'll get votes for it and I think that the team will come around and they'll go on a nice run and they can win.
I don't know if they can win 90 games. I don't know.
[00:30:30] Speaker A: Not 90 because over 80, not 90.
[00:30:33] Speaker B: Yeah, I think they'll finish above 500. And in terms of the American League Central, I know we dog on them very frequently, but it is not the hardest to win that division, especially if you just, all you need to do sometimes is finish above 500 and you could win it for three of those teams.
I think the White Sox lose 100 games this year. I think. I think that the other teams, I mean, the Tigers are so inconsistent. They signed Mark Cannon or they traded for Mark Canna. I'm a big mark canna fan, but blockbuster, they haven't done a lot. The Guardians have done nothing and they were below 500, finish third.
I think they'll finish above the Tigers. I think they did by like one game this past season, but I think that'll be close again. I think the Tigers and the Guardians will be like two games apart and the two of them will be six or seven games behind the pack of the Twins and the Royals. I think it's kind of a coin flip as well, but I think the Royals do win. I kind of want to have one prediction that's not super kind of expected, and I think the Royals are the most likely to do it. But like I said, I think they'll win like 86 games and I think that might be enough. But we got a few minutes left to talk about the American League east before our next break. So this is the big one here. Tyler, what do you think it is?
[00:31:54] Speaker A: Hey, Luke, if you're listening, I have faith in your Yankees. I think y'all just barely pull it out against the Orioles to take the.
I mean, in all that, that was going to be my pick anyway, whether I was trying to be nice to Luke or not. They have Marcus Strowman, Juan Soto. Jason Dominguez is going to come back from injury. I hope he gets some good reps in during spring training. Aaron Judge is Aaron Judge. Garrett Cole has a good possibility to go back to back. Sigh. Young he's not my pick. We'll get there later, but I think the Yankees beat out the Orioles by two games in the AL East. I think the Rays are not going to be anything that they were the only reason they were in a race, their fans couldn't even show up for their playoff games. The only reason the Rays were in a playoff race was because they started the season 27 and I don't think 27.
[00:32:48] Speaker B: I mean, they'd won 20 something games.
[00:32:50] Speaker A: They started with an undefeated record for a month and then fell off the face of the planet. It just so happened that their good start helped them secure a playoff spot. But if your fans can't even show it for the playoffs, what makes you think your team is going to?
[00:33:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I 100% agree with that part. I think the Rays finished last in the AL east this year. I think a lot of the teams have more potential than them right now. The Rays lost a lot of pieces. I think the Red Sox are going to improve greatly. I think the Blue Jays are always solid. I think they will stay solid. I think the Yankees win the division as well. I think the Yankees are 100 win team once again return to form over there. I think this season was more of an outlier. And I mean, they took it super seriously over there. I mean, just one season of finishing 500 and they went and they traded for the best available player. I guess they don't like being 500 over there. So I think they'll win 100 games. I do think it'll be close with the Orioles. I don't think the Orioles win 100.
[00:33:50] Speaker A: Games again this year, but they win 97 games.
[00:33:54] Speaker B: I actually like that a lot. I think they win between 95 and 100. I don't think they get to that.
[00:33:59] Speaker A: Hundred mark floor is 90 wins their floor. I agree. You have a generational catcher. You've just got a Cy Young winner again, something we're going to get to later in the show when we come back from break, a possible cy young winner.
You have all the pieces you need. You got pitching. You have good bats. You have Anthony Santander, Adley Rutchman. You have Grayson Rodriguez is a good prospect pitcher. You have, oh man, I forgot the dude's name.
[00:34:31] Speaker B: The Orioles just having a stacked farm.
Jackson Holiday. Yeah, everyone.
[00:34:39] Speaker A: They're all clones. They don't look the same.
[00:34:41] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. You're right.
[00:34:43] Speaker A: But I mean, what, the east goes to New York.
[00:34:46] Speaker B: Yeah, I would agree there.
I do think that the Orioles win 95 games and make the playoffs, but I do think that that's a fair prediction. Going back, I wanted to revisit what I was thinking about, but I think that the wild card, I mean, we'll discuss a brief playoff bracket, but I think that the Blue Jays just missed out on the playoffs. Kind of like how it went this year except flipped. It was the Mariners just missed out and the Blue Jays made it. But I think it's going to be that the Orioles make the wild card spot as well as the Astros and the Mariners then. But I think the Red Sox and the Blue Jays go back and forth with each other. But it's more of a they're not competing with the hundred win Yankees and Orioles kind of thing, but I think the Yankees run away with it with about like two weeks left. I think it'll be pretty comfortably theirs. So we have pretty much agreement across the board here. So I mean, that'll make it easier when we discuss a playoff bracket, which will be after our next short break here on 90.7, the capstone. If you've been here with us, I am your host, Luke Anderson, joined by Tyler Harrison. And we have gone through our very early predictions for the standings in all of the divisions in baseball, which leaves us with a very early playoff bracket that we're going to get to with the remaining time we have left here. About five minutes left. We're going to kind of try to get through this as best we can with the time left and maybe sneak in some awards predictions as well.
[00:36:41] Speaker A: Let's do it.
[00:36:42] Speaker B: Tyler, all you, man. Take it away. All right.
[00:36:43] Speaker A: So obviously the winners, I think number one team in the National League is Los Angeles. Second team is Atlanta. Third seed is going to be.
Third seed is going to be Chicago.
[00:36:57] Speaker B: Okay. I like that.
[00:36:58] Speaker A: Yep. Fourth seed is going to be Philadelphia. Fifth seed is going to be Diamondbacks. And 6th seed is going to go to Cincinnati. I think two teams from each division.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: I think that, I agree with you that it is going to be Dodgers, Braves and Cubs as the division winners and that'll be the seeding between them. I think that the fourth seed will go to Arizona. I think the fifth seed will go to Cincinnati. And I think the 6th seed, like we talked about kind of the back and forth in the east, I think maybe a little biased. I think the Mets can make this succeed. I'm going to be hopeful.
[00:37:39] Speaker A: We almost had the same teams and you got to screw it up.
[00:37:43] Speaker B: And then if we want to go a quick bracket based on that, the wild card would look like mine would look like Mets versus think. Honestly, I think the Mets would have a chance of beating the Cubs in three games. But I'll go with the Cubs. I don't want to ride the Mets too hard. And then I would have Reds versus Diamondbacks, which I think the Diamondbacks would win pretty easily, which would leave the Diamondbacks to play the Dodgers again in the NLDS, which I got to pick the Dodgers even though I don't want to because they'd always choke. And then I would have Braves versus who? Did I just say the Cubs?
[00:38:19] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:38:19] Speaker B: And I think that once again, I think the Braves could very well lose that. But I will pick them to win, which leaves a very boring but most likely outcome of Dodgers, Braves and give me, sadly, the Dodgers. I still don't think the Dodgers have enough to make it past. I don't know what it is about them in the playoffs.
[00:38:40] Speaker A: Waveleags are connecting. Got to be because my NLCS matchup was Braves, Dodgers and the man I had going to the World Series is the Braves. And that's without.
[00:38:51] Speaker B: I mean, even with bias. I mean, they are objectively one of the best teams in the national League. So I think they can make it back. I mean, like we talked about before, the one season they won, it was arguably their worst season in the past three years in terms of regular season at least. So let's move on to the American League.
[00:39:09] Speaker A: Tyler, now this is where it gets difficult for me because I think it goes New York, Texas, twins as one, two, three. I think four has to go to Baltimore, five has to go to Seattle, and six goes to Houston.
[00:39:29] Speaker B: Okay? I think mine is similar. Like I said, I think the Royals win the division, but they don't. No way. They finish above the Yankees and the Rangers. I do think the Yankees finish as the top seed in the american league as well. And in terms of wild card standings, I would say that the Astros finish as the four seed, followed by the five seed Orioles and the six seed Seattle Mariners. Okay.
[00:39:52] Speaker A: I like the Royals.
I don't think their season is going to stack up and be better than the non division winners that are the Orioles, Mariners, Astros.
[00:40:04] Speaker B: Exactly. I think that in terms of how the bracket would go, the Royals would end up playing the Mariners on my bracket and I think the Mariners would win that one. I mean, I think that regardless of the AL central winner, I think that it's going to be similar to this past season. The wild card teams are just going to be so, so good. And the twins did win their series against the Blue Jays. But I think that the teams are getting even better now. And I think the American League wild card teams, I think all three of them could be 90 win teams and the Mariners would win. I think that the Astros would beat the Orioles because I think they just have too much playoff experience. And I do really like the Orioles. But I mean, experience, we saw it.
[00:40:44] Speaker A: Last with the Orioles. I can't stand the Astros.
[00:40:46] Speaker B: I can't stand them either. I do dislike them quite a lot as well. But I think that we saw it last year. Unfortunately, the Orioles just with, they have no experience and Texas kind of walked right on over them, which was unfortunate. I thought that was going to be a good series, but I think they do step it up and it goes to three games, which is obviously the maximum for that wild card. And the third game would be close then. But I think that Houston would take that, which would leave my bracket with Yankees, Mariners, which I think the Yankees would take, and then that would leave Texas versus Houston again, except in the divisional around this time, which I think Texas would win again, which is leaving me once again with kind of a boring ALCS matchup, which I think the Yankees would beat the Rangers, which gives me, coincidentally, I didn't even plan this. You told me your prediction before the show and I kind of thought about mine as we went on and I have the same prediction as you, don't I?
[00:41:43] Speaker A: Yeah. My ALCS matchup is New York versus Texas. I got New York pulling that out against the defending World Series champs. And then the World Series matchup is going to be a repeat of almost the entire ninety s. The Braves versus the Yankees. Except this time you don't have mo. I'm taking the Braves in seven games. We're bringing home a ring in Atlanta because we're going to have a better record than the Yankees. So we get that 7th game at home. Thank you.
[00:42:10] Speaker B: I think this is where, as much as it was fun to agree with you the whole way through here, but I'm going to have to flip that on its head. I think the Yankees have the home field. I think the Yankees finish better than the Braves. Game seven will be in the Bronx, but I don't think there will be a game seven. I think the Yankees close it out in game six in the Bronx and they take it over the Braves. World Series MVP Aaron Judge, if he's healthy. But I mean, that's going to be hard to tell.
[00:42:41] Speaker A: Give me World Series MVP Maddie ice Matt Olsen. I mean, if we're playing the Yankees, he's got a short porch. He's going to get him seven home.
[00:42:51] Speaker B: Wish. I wish Luke was here to be here with us. Or hopefully he's listening to us, his New York Yankees. We both have going to the World Series. I'm sure he thinks the same way. If he was here, he'd be saying the exact same thing.
[00:43:06] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely.
[00:43:07] Speaker B: We will get to awards hopefully next week. We've run out of time here on MLB student section, but good evening, everyone. Have a good evening, enjoy the rest of your Valentine's day. And those are our 2024 predictions for the MLB season. So thank you all for joining us. Tune in next week.
[00:43:24] Speaker A: Adios y'all.
