MLB 2019 Week 6 (4/29/19 - 5/5/19)

First pitch (1st Inning)

Hello readers! Another week of Major League Baseball action has finished. The first full month of the season is done, for some teams it meant great joy and for some great horror. As the months get warmer, teams will start to get hotter as they will find their stride on both the mound and at the batters box.

May is usually the month when you start to see some of the bottom of the pack fall back to obscurity while most of the teams will stay within the pack. It also brings the time when the first All-Star Ballots come out and the votes start pouring in.

In this column I'll break down the 30 clubs recap, who got the monthly awards for April and a Final Out recapping the month that was April for the best plays of the month. We're a full month and change into the season and we still have five months left to go, let's get to work!

American League

American League East (2nd Inning):

Baltimore Orioles (5th in AL East; Week Record: 2-3; Overall Record: 12-22; Week Runs Scored: 17):
The Orioles took 1 of 3 (4th game was postponed) against the White Sox and took 1 of 2 (3rd game was also postponed) against the Rays. The offense this week was meager but the pitching and bullpen really got them those two wins this week. This team isn't expected to do much but nice to see at least some wins in Baltimore.

This week: 3 games vs Boston; 3 games vs Los Angeles (AL)

Boston Red Sox (3rd in AL East; Week Record: 6-1; Overall Record: 16-18; Week Runs Scored: 55):
The Red Sox swept the Athletics in 3 games and took 3 of 4 against the White Sox. The Red Sox had been lax so far on the season but certainly this week has changed some heads. When your offense scores a lot of runs in a game and you're a quality pitcher like Eduardo Rodriguez or Chris Sale you have to feel good. Has to be nice to see Chris Sale throwing the ball like he used to.

This week: 3 games @ Baltimore; 3 games vs Seattle

New York Yankees (2nd in AL East; Week Record: 2-3; Overall Record: 19-14; Week Runs Scored: 16):
The Yankees got swept in 2 games against the Diamondbacks and took 2 of 3 against the Twins. New York's offense was a bit off this week as they didn't really get going against a supposedly meager Arizona team and got swept against them. Sure they don't have the necessary people to make a run at the championship yet but you have to play with what you have.

This week: 4 games vs Seattle; 3 games @ Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Rays (1st in AL East; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 21-12; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Rays took 2 of 4 against the Royals and took 1 of 2 (3rd game was postponed as well) against the Orioles. You could see that outside of Glasnow that the Rays starting rotation had a rough week and their offense putting up good run numbers but still to go .500 on the week is a bit troublesome. We will learn a lot about the Rays when they play a weekend series at home against the Yankees.

This week: 3 games vs Arizona; 3 games vs New York (AL)

Toronto Blue Jays (4th in AL East; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 15-18; Week Runs Scored: 16):
The Blue Jays got swept in 3 games against the Angels and took 1 of 3 against the Rangers. The pitching has been good, even holding the Rangers to 0 runs in a 1-0 game on Friday (in 12 innings by the way). It also shows how bad the Blue Jays have been in scoring runs. Both need to coexist well to win ballgames.

This week: 3 games vs Minnesota; 3 games vs Chicago (AL)

American League Central (3rd Inning)

Chicago White Sox (Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 14-17; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The White Sox took 2 of 3 (4th game was postponed) against the Orioles and took 1 of 4 against the Red Sox. Same story for the team on the Southside of Chicago. That 15-2 drubbing by the Red Sox had to be a confidence killer for their pitching staff which has had a rough go of it, still your offense can still put up numbers. Tim Anderson is going to be a stud for a while.

This week: 4 games @ Cleveland; 3 games @ Toronto

Cleveland Indians (2nd in AL Central; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 18-14; Week Runs Scored: 16):
The Indians took 1 of 2 against the Marlins and took 2 of 3 against the Mariners. Offense is still struggling for the Tribe but when you have Brad Hand as your closer getting you saves you have to feel better. Perhaps if you're still in the playoff race come July you could trade your assets to get a complementary bat to help your offense.

This week: 4 games vs Chicago (AL); 3 games @ Oakland

Detroit Tigers (3rd in AL Central; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 15-16; Week Runs Scored: 18):
The Tigers took 1 of 2 against the Phillies and took 2 of 3 against the Royals. Detroit's pitching has come up huge for them as they really need a great pitching staff along with a great closer in Shane Greene (who notched two saves this week) otherwise this team would be last in the division as the offense just doesn't get a lot of runs and sometimes that's enough to give them an edge in a game.

This week: 3 games vs Los Angeles (AL); 4 games @ Minnesota

Kansas City Royals (5th in AL Central; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 12-23; Week Runs Scored: 37):
The Royals took 2 of 4 against the Rays and took 1 of 3 against the Tigers. Somehow in baseball that the Royals offense could outduel the strong pitching of the Rays in 2 of 4 games. You never pictured them to score 15 runs against Detroit's pitching staff in a game. Their offense was good for better part of the week but we're not kidding when they are still rebuilding.

This week: 3 games @ Houston; 3 games vs Philadelphia

Minnesota Twins (1st in AL Central; Week Record: 4-3; Overall Record: 20-12; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Twins took 3 of 4 against the Astros and took 1 of 3 against the Yankees. Minnesota looked pretty good against a great Astros team (other than that 11-0 drubbing but we forget that) and then looked meager against an old bully. The Twins pitching has been good so far this season and their offense has given them chances to win as well. They just ran into a buzzsaw of a Yankees team that has a chip on its shoulder. Should be an easier week for the Twinkies though.

This week: 3 games @ Toronto; 4 games vs Detroit

American League West (4th inning)

Houston Astros (1st in AL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 19-14; Week Runs Scored: 39):
The Astros took 1 of 4 against the Twins and took 2 of 2 against the Angels. Houston had an off week this week. Their back end of the rotation took losses as well as Justin Verlander though his start on Monday was a 1-0 loss. The offense has to get some flack this week for their inept to score runs but they did get them during their short series against the Angels at Mexico.

This week: 3 games vs Kansas City; 4 games vs Texas

Los Angeles Angels (4th in AL West; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 15-18; Week Runs Scored: 22):
The Angels swept the Blue Jays in 3 games and got swept in 2 games against Astros. It had been a solid week for the Halos on pitching and hitting then reality set back to them when they got their teeth kicked in against the Astros. Ohtani's return will definitely be a day to look forward to.

This week: 3 games @ Detroit; 3 games @ Baltimore

Oakland Athletics (5th in AL West; Week Record: 1-5; Overall Record: 15-21; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Athletics got swept in 3 games against the Red Sox and took 1 of 3 against the Pirates. It would seem strange that this team was hammering the Red Sox earlier back in April then come unhinged when they travel to Boston. Sure they are hit with injuries to Khris Davis who will miss a few days due to a hip injury but the wheels sure do come off quick.

This week: 3 games vs Cincinnati; 3 games vs Cleveland

Seattle Mariners (2nd in AL West; Week Record: 1-4; Overall Record: 19-17; Week Runs Scored: 20):
The Mariners got swept in 2 games against the Cubs and took 1 of 3 against the Indians. Seattle is 3-7 in their last 10 games. The offense that had gotten them off to such a fast start has been lax and their pitching has given up a lot of runs, including a 11-0 loss on Wednesday. Just proves that slow and steady wins the race and fast and hot won't. Not saying that they can't recover from this but its a long stretch of the schedule and they have to play in some tough series for the next week.

This week: 4 games @ New York (AL); 3 games @ Boston

Texas Rangers (3rd in AL West; Week Record: 2-3; Overall Record: 15-16; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The Rangers got swept in 2 games against the Pirates and took 2 of 3 against the Blue Jays. Things are bigger in Texas, or at least with the Rangers on offense. Joey Gallo and Isiah Finer-Falefa has given the Rangers some hits and RBI's to help their offense and Lance Lynn has been a good starter for them with his 4-2 record on the year. The ERA is still quite a bit high for my liking.

This week: 2 games @ Pittsburgh; 4 games @ Houston

National League

National League East (5th inning)

Atlanta Braves (2nd in NL East; Week Record: 5-2; Overall Record: 18-16; Week Runs Scored: 32):
The Braves took 2 of 4 against the Padres and took 3 of 3 against the Marlins. The pitching stepped up big this week and the offense as well whigh scored a lot of runs in the week. Dansby Swanson and Brian McCann proved a lot of spark to their run production and wins. Still you played against the Marlins who you had to beat and did. Still hoping for the same against some good teams in the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

This week: 3 games @ Los Angeles (NL); 4 games @ Arizona

Miami Marlins (5th in NL East; Week Record: 1-4; Overall Record: 9-24; Week Runs Scored: 13):
The Marlins took 1 of 2 against the Indians and got swept in 3 games against the Braves. Derek Jeter vented at his frustrations on the team's performance this past week. You can't necessarily blame the guy but you can certainly give him majority of the problem as you practically gave away most of your talent to other teams with very little production in return. This team is going to be bad come the end of the season, just how bad is the question. A projected number of 45 wins is possible, beating the loss record of the 2003 Tigers by a few games. Just sad.

This week: 4 games @ Chicago (NL); 3 games @ New York (NL)

New York Mets (3rd in the NL East; Week Record: 2-5; Overall Record: 16-18; Week Runs Scored: 15):
The Mets took 2 of 4 against the Reds and got swept in 3 games against the Brewers. In a New York minute you can go from looking like a great pitching and solid hitting club to bottoming out. Jason Vargas and Steven Matz got hit with an injury and will miss a week. Last week was such a formality with this team that they just can't score runs.

This week: 3 games @ San Diego; 3 games vs Miami

Philadelphia Phillies (1st in NL East; Week Record: 3-2; Overall Record: 19-14; Week Runs Scored: 27):
The Phillies took 1 of 2 against the Tigers and took 2 of 3 against the Nationals. Bryce Harper has been struggling as of late which shouldn't come to any surprise. Nor should the idea that Philadelphia fans wouldn't boo him, which is to their custom to do. Even their manager has criticised the struggling Harper. Despite the struggles for him Seranthony Dominguez got two wins this week coming in from the bullpen.

This week: 3 games @ St. Louis; 3 games @ Kansas City

Washington Nationals (4th in NL East; Week Record: 2-5; Overall Record: 14-19; Week Runs Scored: 21):
The Nationals took 1 of 4 against the Cardinals and took 1 of 3 against the Phillies. Washington got rid of their pitching coach on Friday which wouldn't come to a surprise as their team's ERA is way too high for the amount of talent that they have. Their bullpen has been pretty bad but it shouldn't be discounted for the fact that Anibal Sanchez has yet to record a victory this year as he is 0-5. Injuries have been plaguing them so far as well. Still, you're not the Miami Marlins.

This week: 3 games @ Milwaukee; 4 games @ Los Angeles (NL)

National League Central (6th inning)

Chicago Cubs (1st in NL Central; Week Record: 5-0; Overall Record: 19-12; Week Runs Scored: 40):
The Cubs swept the Mariners in 2 games and swept the Cardinals in 3 games. Their pitching staff posted 2 shutouts during the week and their offense was great this week. They seemed to have recovered well this week.

This week: 4 games vs Miami; 3 games vs Milwaukee

Cincinnati Reds (5th in NL Central; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 14-20; Week Runs Scored: 34):
The Reds took 2 of 4 against the Mets and 1 of 3 against the Giants. Derek Dietrich is having a great week hitting four home runs and an OPS of 1.020, extraordinary numbers for the player. Their batting average is still awful but man they can score runs and can get guys out with their pitching staff.

This week: 1 game vs San Francisco; 3 games @ Oakland; 3 games @ San Francisco

Milwaukee Brewers (3rd in NL Central; Week Record: 5-2; Overall Record: 20-16; Week Runs Scored: 29):
The Brewers took 2 of 4 against the Rockies and swept the Mets in 3 games. The Brewers didn't have Christian Yelich for most of the week but that didn't really stop them this week. After his brief stint with an injury, Yelich still hit a home run. The offense and bullpen formula for winning is still proving to be successful for them as they win. Josh Hader has 9 saves on the year for the Brew Crew.

This week: 3 games vs Washington; 3 games @ Chicago (NL)

Pittsburgh Pirates (4th in NL Central; Week Record: 4-1; Overall Record: 16-15; Week Runs Scored: 24):
The Pirates took 2 of 2 against the Rangers and took 2 of 3 against the Athletics. It was a good week for the Buccos as they are back above .500 at the end of the week. They have been hit with injuries to their rotation and position players. Chris Archer, Jacob Stallings and Lonnie Chisenhall have been plagued with injury. They still manage to find ways to win including a walk off win on Sunday. Huge series against St. Louis next weekend.

This week; 2 games vs Texas; 4 games @ St. Louis

St. Louis Cardinals (2nd in NL Central; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 20-14; Week Runs Scored: 25):
The Cardinals took 3 of 4 against the Nationals and got swept by the Cubs in 3 games. It was a streak of sorts for the Redbirds. They got a 3 game winning streak and then had a 4 game losing streak. They ran into a tough Cubs team that was playing on momentum and I think their team wasn't prepared for it. Their pitching wasn't great for their games on Saturday and Sunday and their offense couldn't produce runs on Friday. I think they'll be fine but this has to be a wake up call for them.

This week: 3 games vs Philadelphia; 4 games vs Pittsburgh

National League West (7th inning)

Arizona Diamondbacks (2nd in NL West; Week Record: 4-1; Overall Record: 20-13; Week Runs Scored: 32):
The Diamondbacks swept the Yankees in 2 games and took 2 of 3 against the Rockies. It still baffles me how well this offense is putting up numbers as well as they have. David Peralta and Ketel Marte have been stellar for the Diamonbacks both posting 20+ RBI's on the year. I guess they really don't miss Paul Goldschmidt. Greg Holland has 8 saves on the year too.

This week: 3 games @ Tampa Bay; 4 games vs Atlanta

Colorado Rockies (4th in NL West; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 15-19; Week Runs Scored: 37):
The Rockies split a 4 game series against the Brewers and took 1 of 3 against the Diamondbacks. Colorado just hasn't shown any consistency so far on the year. They had a good week last week but now they just seem to revert back to their ineptitude of not hitting well, driving in runs, and getting guys out. Just ugly.

This week: 3 games vs San Francisco; 3 games vs San Diego

Los Angeles Dodgers (1st in NL West; Week Record: 3-3; Overall Record: 22-13; Week Runs Scored: 29):
The Dodgers took 1 of 3 against the Giants and took 2 of 3 against the Padres. Cody Bellinger is still putting up numbers for them. Kenley Jansen is getting them saves in close ballgames. They can look stellar in week in and week out then you give the Giants two wins in a series. Still they look good.

This week: 3 games vs Atlanta; 4 games vs Washington

San Diego Padres (3rd in NL West; Week Record: 3-4; Overall Record: 19-16; Week Runs Scored: 34):
The Padres took 2 of 4 against the Braves and took 1 of 3 against the Dodgers. San Diego had an alright week with ups and downs. The Dodgers got to Kirby Yates who had looked unstoppable. The offense was good this week as Hunter Renfroe hit a walk-off home run on Sunday. Still astonishing that this team is supposed to be still rebuilding.

This week: 3 games vs New York; 3 games @ Colorado

San Francisco Giants (5th in NL West; Week Record: 4-2; Overall Record: 15-19; Week Runs Scored: 28):
The Giants took 2 of 3 against the Dodgers and took 2 of 3 against the Reds. Buster Posey showed some flash of his old self on Sunday a three-run home run then got a double and scored on a Brandon Crawford home run. The pitching has kept them in games as well and Will Smith got the Giants 3 saves on the week.

This week: 1 game @ Cincinnati; 3 games @ Colorado; 3 games vs Cincinnati

League Leaders & Notes(8th Inning):

This past Wednesday, Major League Baseball released their monthly awards for batter of the month, pitcher of the month and rookie of the month for both leagues. Your batters of the month were Tim Anderson of the White Sox and Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers (well deserved too). Your pitchers of the month were Tyler Glasnow of the Rays and Luis Castillo of the Reds (no surprises there). Then your Rookies of the Month were Brandon Lowe of the Rays and Pete Alonso of the Mets. Congratulations to all the winners.

In the American League your batting leaders are: Hunter Dozier (Royals) with a .346 batting average, Gary Sanchez (Yankees) with 11 home runs, and Jose Abreu (White Sox) with 32 RBI's. The pitching leaders are Tyler Glasnow (Rays) with 6 wins and a 1.47 ERA, Shane Greene (Tigers) with 13 saves. Tim Anderson (White Sox) dropped down to .336 in batting average and Domingo Santana (Mariners) still has 30 RBI's.

In the National League, your batting leaders are: Cody Bellinger (Dodgers) who has a .415 batting average, 14 home runs, and 38 RBI's. Certainly if the season ended today Bellinger would have the Triple Crown in Batting. The National League's pitching leaders are: Zach Greinke (Diamondbacks) with 5 wins, Luis Castillo (Reds) with 1.45 ERA and Kirby Yates (Padres) with 14 saves.

The Final Out (9th inning):
The month of April has ended, wrapping up the first full month of the season. It has brought some remarkable plays, remarkable home runs, and some drama. We will have to see what May brings forth to all the 30 ballclubs but here'ss a video of the best plays of April. I'll see you guys as usual next week. Enjoy the baseball!

MLB Season Predictions + Mike Trout Extension

Hello readers! Opening Day (in the United States) of the 2019 baseball season is soon upon us. The promise of a new year, new faces, old faces, and the sound of the bat making contact with a baseball makes this time of year a grand affair to behold. In this column, I'll discuss the Mike Trout extension that made headlines last week, my thoughts on baseball playing meaningful games in Japan, and of course the predictions of all 30 teams for the coming season. Let's get to work.

The Big Fish Getting Paid!

With the news of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper getting $300 million+, 10+ year contracts, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim wasted no time in getting their face of the franchise, Mike Trout, a contract for the ages. The contract is a $426.5 million dollar deal that stretches out for 12 years. If you do the math he will get paid a little over $37 million a year (with the signing bonus). This season is the last of his 5-year contract, the new deal will start in the 2020 season and will end in 2031 when Trout becomes an Unrestricted Free Agent.

The guy has been a great ambassador for baseball since he burst onto the scene in 2012. Playing well as a Centerfielder, hitting very well, putting up great numbers. The only thing that troubles me with this deal is the lack of playoff numbers. He appeared in the playoffs in 2014 but did not put up the numbers that you would normally see in the regular season.

In the 2014 American League Division Series with the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Mike Trout would only get 1 hit out of 12 at-bats with a homer and an RBI. His batting average was .083 during the course of the series. It remains the only postseason appearance for the player as of March 24th, 2019.

I'm not necessarily against the idea of giving Trout a big deal. He is a once in a generation player that you should never want to let go. The Angels since that time have been lackluster in providing a team around Trout to build off of and give him a chance to get back to the playoffs and possibly win a championship. I just hope that it won't become another "Albert Pujols" deal where it goes nowhere and it sucks up the payroll of the team.

Opening Day... in Japan?

Another thing that happened over the course of last week was the beginning of the 2019 MLB season. Yeah, you read that right. The Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners went to Japan to play a 2-game series in the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo. The Mariners took both games over their division rivals with the score of 9-7 and 5-4 (in 12 innings).

The idea of it was so that Ichiro Suzuki, who started his playing career in Japan, could retire where he began... in style. It was a kind gesture to Ichiro who will surely be a Hall of Famer when the time comes. He has put up monster numbers over his career. I just feel this could've been done a bit better as an exhibition game or a late-season series that would've given him a better curtain call.

Ichiro has compiled a lifetime batting average of .311, drove in 780 RBI's, 509 stolen bases, and 3,089 hits. He joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001 and retired in the middle of the 2018 season before becoming an assistant to the Mariners in 2018. He will be sorely missed by the baseball community.

Predictions!

Now the time that you all have been waiting for. The predictions for all the teams in the 2019 season. The 2019 season marks the 150 year of professional baseball since the inception of the Cincinnati Red Stockings as a professional team in 1869. All 30 teams will have a commemorative patch for the season, honoring the achievement. Here are my awards predictions:

AL MVP: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

NL MVP: Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals

AL Cy Young: Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox NL Cy Young: Stephen Strausberg, Washington Nationals

AL Manager of the Year: Aaron Boone, New York Yankees

NL Manager of the Year: Gabe Kapler, Philadelphia Phillies

Obviously this will change but I feel good enough picking these people to win these particular awards. Hopefully this won't blow me up in the face like my "Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl" prediction that I made prior to the 2018 NFL season. Here are my predictions of all the 30 teams:

American League

American League East:

Baltimore Orioles: 5th in American League East

The O's last year had a horrific season and the rebuilding will likely continue through this season. There is some decent pieces for Orioles on pitching but it will likely be a 90+ loss season.

Boston Red Sox: 2nd in American League East

The defending champs lost a number of pieces that lead to the championship, particularly on the bullpen that was the x-factor for the team. Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly to name a few who Boston lost to Free Agency. The offense and starting pitching will be there but the name of the game will depend on the bullpen.

New York Yankees: 1st in American League East

The Yankees were an Aaron Judge injury away from winning the division last year. If Judge remains healthy for the season expect the Bronx Bombers to remain in a deadlock with the Red Sox for the division title. The Yankees bullpen is better than Boston's

Tampa Bay Rays: 3rd in the American League East

The Rays were a surprise team in 2018 with their pitching and steady offense. The Rays should remain the same as a possible Wild-Card team that could make some noise in the playoffs. I don't see them getting the top spot in the division against two titans in the Red Sox and Yankees.

Toronto Blue Jays: 4th in the American League East

The Blue Jays could very well have a losing season for another year. The team will be competitive but will have a hard time to make up any room for 3rd with Tampa's tough pitching.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox: 2nd in American League Central

The Southsiders were making sound in the offseason with some good pickups in free agency with Elroy Jimenez. With a farm system coming up the White Sox could make some noise against the perennial division winner Cleveland. It'll be a slugfest but I like the White Sox being a 2nd fiddle in the division. Good pitching though.

Cleveland Indians: 1st in the American League Central

The Indians will be without the "Chief Wahoo" logo for the first time in a long time. The team still has the pieces in the pitching of Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer and some pieces in the offense. The surging White Sox could be a problem but I like the Indians remaining at the top for at least another year.

Detroit Tigers: 5th in the American League Central

The Tigers are entering another year of rebuilding and will more than likely continue with their rebuilding process. Miguel Cabrera remains to be a constant piece on offense for Detroit and Michael Fullmer and Jordan Zimmerman are decent pitchers when healthy. Those players could be moved at the trading deadline.

Kansas City Royals: 4th in the American League Central

The Royals come into 2019 with rebuilding on their minds since they won a championship in 2015. The pitching is banged up, the bullpen is not promising. The offense will be carried from Alex Gordon and Billy Hamilton. It will more than likely the bullpen that will have to carry this team through the 162-game season.

Minnesota Twins: 3rd in the American League Central

The Twinkies have some good pieces on offense with the signing of Nelson Cruz. The pitching will make or break this team with Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson, and Michel Pineda. If Byron Buxton can have a great offensive season look for the Twins to make noise.

American League West

Houston Astros: 1st in the American League West

The Astros still have the pieces that helped them win the championship in 2017 and deep runs in 2016 and 2018. The pitching will take a step back but the offense is still there. Granted the rest of the division is somewhat of a dumpster fire, it should be noted that the rest of the division has gotten better but its really going to be the Astros and whoever else comes 2nd.

Los Angeles Angels: 2nd in the American League West

The big X-factor for the Angels this season is if Mike Trout can stay healthy and the pitching can put up numbers. Some weaknesses in the infield could rear its ugly head as well. It will have to be up to the offense to lead the Angels to the postseason for the first time since 2014.

Oakland Athletics: 3rd in the American League West

The pitching is what got them to the playoffs last season but I don't think they can repeat their success especially in an American League that is tough to break into the playoffs. I don't trust the Athletics to repeat their success based on their pitching but the offense will be hit with injuries to start the season.

Seattle Mariners: 5th in the American League West

The Mariners are going to be into a transition to rebuilding for 2019. The pieces on pitching are aging with Felix Hernandez at the #5 spot and the offense of Edwin Encarnacion will help a bit but I can't see Seattle break out of their postseason drought anytime soon.

Texas Rangers: 4th in the American League West

The Rangers will be playing their last season in Globe Life Park at Arlington in 2019. The team has some good pieces on offense, Joey Gallo needs to have a great year if the Rangers want to get to the playoffs. The pitching is average to decent but it will likely be another year for the Rangers to get back to the playoffs, let alone a winning season.

National League

National League East

Atlanta Braves: 2nd in the National League East

The Braves made a lot of noise last season with their young position players in Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna. If the Braves want to get a division title it will depend on their starting pitching to get them there.

Miami Marlins: 5th in the National League East

The Marlins are an eyesore to the rest of the division which got better. Their offense is aging and/or had poor numbers in 2018. The pitching looks atrocious and Sergio Romo looks like the best player that Miami has which is a stretch.

New York Mets: 4th in the National League East

The Mets got better with the acquisition of Robinson Cano and their starting pitching still has their main pieces with Noah Syndergaard and Jacob DeGrom. I feel it will be a fight between the Nationals and the Mets for 3rd in the division, I feel the latter will get 4th in a stacked division.

Philadelphia Phillies: 1st in the National League East

The Phillies were a surprise team in 2018 with all the "rebuilding" talk and got better with the acquisitions of Aaron Nola and Bryce Harper. The Phillies could very well be a World Series contender with the pieces they acquired alone. Not also to mention Andrew McCutchen. Their pitching will be a question mark but they have money to spend and a piece in the trade deadline could be ideal for the Phils.

Washington Nationals: 3rd in the National League East

The loss of Bryce Harper will be a tough one to swallow for the Nats but Washington picked up Brian Dozier and Anibal Sanchez will help the starting pitching a bit as well. In a tough division, I feel the Nationals will be stuck in the middle of good and bad.

National League Central

Chicago Cubs: 3rd in the National League Central

The Cubs collapse in September 2018 was a tough one to swallow for a Cubs fan as they not also lost the division but also lost a Game #163 to the Brewers. The Cubs still have a solid offense with the same pieces that won the championship in 2016 but it has to be the Northsiders pitching outside of Jon Lester to be key to getting them to the playoffs. The season will be a make or break for Joe Maddon and company.

Cincinnati Reds: 4th in the National League Central

The Reds look to make some noise in 2019 but it won't happen likely this year nor in 2020. The Reds pitching got an upgrade with Sonny Gray from the Yankees but the offense needs to get better and Yasiel Puig will help the Reds a bit. Could be a fun team to watch in the future.

Milwaukee Brewers: 1st in the National League Central

The Brew Crew didn't add a lot of pieces in starting pitching but the pieces that helped them win the division in their offense and bullpen are still intact. The Brewers need another starter other than Jhoulys Chacin to get them to where they want to go.

Pittsburgh Pirates: 5th in the National League Central

The Buccos offense looks average and their pitching looks average. They didn't get a lot of notable pieces in free agency but the rest of the division got better and they look to be rebuilding for another year.

St. Louis Cardinals: 2nd in the National League Central

The Cardinals got an underrated free agent in Paul Goldschmidt during the offseason with some notable pieces on offense as well. I like their offense. The Cardinals pitching is going to be a focus. Can Miles Mikolas repeat his 18-4 season last year? This team looks really solid.

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks: 5th in the National League West

The Diamondbacks are looking to go a step back since they made the playoffs in 2017. The loss of Paul Goldschmidt will be a factor as their offense doesn't look notably great. The key will be if their starting pitching can carry them to a winning season.

Colorado Rockies: 1st in the National League West

The Rockies have never won the division in their 26-year history and they could very well end that trend this season. The starting pitching of Kyle Freeland and German Marquez look to carry the load for the Rockies and the maturing offense of Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado. Their bullpen is top notch in the National League.

Los Angeles Dodgers: 2nd in the National League West

The Dodgers have held a strong footing in the division since 2012 and a lot of pieces left the team in free agency. They will be without Clayton Kershaw for the start of the season and their bullpen got a boost with Joe Kelly. I don't feel safe with the Dodgers staying on top with the surging Rockies.

San Diego Padres: 3rd in the National League West

The acquisition of Manny Machado will help the Padres in the future, not in 2019 unfortunately. Unless the maturation of their young talent goes to the next level and become the 2019 version of the Atlanta Braves, I don't expect the Padres to compete for the top spot in the division.

San Francisco Giants: 4th in the National League West:

The Giants have the pieces that won the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014 but certainly you can say that their window to get back to the playoffs has passed. I like the Giants offense but I don't feel so good about their pitching, let alone their bullpen.

Postseason Predictions:

AL Wild Card Red Sox over Angels

ALDS: Astros over Red Sox Yankees over Indians

ALCS: Yankees over Astros NL Wild Card: Braves over Dodgers

NLDS: Phillies over Braves Rockies over Brewers

NLCS: Phillies over Rockies World Series: Yankees over Phillies

Due Up:

Expect to see the Week 1 recap to be posted on the 31st of March. It might be a short week since Opening Day will be on the 28th this week. Nevertheless the upcoming weeks will be longer since I will be doing a Monday-Sunday recap. Thanks for reading and see you all next Sunday for the recap!

-Tom