30 Predictions for the 2016 MLB Season

Opening Day is here, a day that should be a national holiday in my opinion.  It is arguably one of my favorite times of the year as every fan of every team has a reason to enter the season with renewed optimism.  And so, please indulge me as I give you my 30 predictions, one for each team, for the 2016 MLB season.  Just remember, some of these might be a little tongue-in-cheek…

1. The Texas Rangers will win the World Series, while Roughned Odor finishes the season top 5 in AL MVP voting.
2. The Chicago Cubs will lose to Texas in the Series, but will score more runs than any other team during the regular season.
3. The San Francisco Giants will finally lose the even numbered year magic while we all realize that last year’s Johnny Cueto is here to stay…
4. The Kansas City Royals continue to defy the sabermetric odds, and win their division once again.
5. The New York Mets finish the season with 2 starting pitchers in the top 5 of NL Cy Young voting.
6. The Houston Astros lead the AL West for the first half of the season, but 2 straight seasons of 200+ innings pitched by Dallas Keuchel catches up in the second half.
7. The Toronto Blue Jays still score a zillion runs, just not as many as the Cubs.
8. The Washington Nationals don’t win the NL East, but do lock down a NL wild card position on the strength of Michael Taylor’s 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
9. The St. Louis Cardinals make the playoffs (again…) but don’t get past the first round because of a lack of offense.
10. The Pittsburgh Pirates unfortunately repeat last year’s heartbreak and lose the wild card game to St. Louis despite having home field advantage.
11. The Cleveland Indians sneak into the playoffs through the Wild Card, and Corey Kluber wins 20 games.
12. The LA Dodgers tease everyone again as Joc Pederson hits 30+ home runs, but still miss the playoffs.
13. The Boston Red Sox are neck-and-neck with Toronto for much of the season, but David Price’s playoff meltdown comes a month early and they miss the postseason.
14. The Detroit Tigers miss the playoffs despite Miguel Cabrera flirting with a triple-crown at age 33
15. The Arizona Diamondbacks are unable to overcome the injury to AJ Pollock and slide back into mediocrity despite Grienke continuing last year’s success.
16. The New York Yankees completely fall apart as the pitching staff is unable to stay healthy for the season.
17. The Chicago White Sox remain competitive as Jose Abreu flirts with 50 home runs, but are completely overshadowed by their cross-town rivals.
18. The Tampa Bay Rays season is defined by the continuous rumor of a move to Montreal as they post the lowest attendance records in team history.
19. Despite a losing record, Felix Hernandez is once again a Cy Young contender for the Seattle Mariners.
20. The LA Angels have one of the worst offenses in the league, but Mike Trout still manages to score 100+ runs and drive-in 100+ runs.
21. Giancarlo Stanton finally plays a full season and contends for the NL MVP, but the Miami Marlins are still unable to top 75 wins.
22. Fans of the Minnesota Twins have hope for the future as Byron Buxton wins the AL ROY award.
23. The Colorado Rockies don’t even notice the absence of Troy Tulowitzki as Nolen Arenado and Trevor Story combine for 70+ home runs.
24. Despite scoring 4.5 runs per game, the Baltimore Orioles are unable to gain any traction due to their horrendous pitching staff.
25. The San Diego Padres once again have a fire sale mid-season, but it doesn’t improve their draft position at all.
26. The Oakland Athletics finally start building a new stadium… haha, of course not.
27. Despite having a very solid young pitching staff, the Cincinnati Reds can’t win because they can’t score.
28. The Milwaukee Brewers are on the rise as SS prospect Orlando Arcia arrives at the All-Star break and sets Wisconsin on fire.
29. The Atlanta Braves stay in a holding pattern as they wait for their farm system to develop.  Odds of Freddie Freeman staying in Atlanta this season?
30. The Philadelphia Phillies don’t win many games, but the solid pitching of their young staff give Philly a reason to hope for better years in the near future.