Way too Early Playoff Predictions

Now that we’ve played a few games, its time to have some fun with way too early playoff predictions, starting with the AL.

AL East- Red Sox (95-67) Yankees (94-68)*

This might be the most exciting battle, at least on paper. And I’m not just saying that because of my Red Sox bias. The Sox pitching has looked sharp for the most part, while the Yankees have the most dangerous lineup on paper. However, I always give the edge to pitching, which is why I give the edge to the Sox.

AL Central - Cleveland Indians (90-72) Minnesota Twins (85-77)
I fully expect Cleveland to dig themselves out of their current slump (2-4, 3rd in the Central) and win the division. Why? Pitching. Corey Kluber is one of the best in the business, and he’s got 2 CY Young awards to prove it.

AL West - Houston Astros (94-68) LA Angels (88-74)*
This could be another exciting race, with Shohei Otani looking like he’s worth every penny and then some. Plus Mike Trout is always fun to watch. The Angels could be dangerous this year, but they have to contend with a Houston team that retained all of their key guys from their World Series run last year, which is why I see Houston retaining the division.

Wild Card - Yankees over LA
ALDS winners - Red Sox, Houston
AL Champion - Red Sox over Houston

NL East - Washington Nationals (99-63) Mets (90-72)*
This has to be the year Washington finally makes a run. Bryce Harper is likely gone after the season, and Washington has vastly underachieved, given their level of talent, and this is the year they finally break that.

NL Central - Chicago Cubs (93-69) St. Louis (89-73)
This division is the wild card. Right now, both the Cubs & Cardinals are struggling, but they’re both too talented to keep struggling. In the end, I do give the edge to the Cubs because of experience, but it’s anyone’s guess right now.

NL West - LA Dodgers (99-63) San Francisco (93-69)*
I can’t see any other way for this to pan out. The Dodgers will win the division again, but San Fransisco adding Andrew McCutchen will make a big difference, and they’ll give the Dodgers more competition than they did last year.

Wild Card - SF over NY
NLDS winners - Washington & LA
NL Champion - Washington
WS Champion - Red Sox

*Wild Card

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Season Recap: A farewell to Ortiz and what's next

AP/Charles Krupa

The Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Indians on Monday in a disappointing end to David Ortiz's final season with the Red Sox. David Ortiz bid an emotional farewell to Red Sox Nation after losing 4-3 to the Indians. The Red Sox did well to make it to the playoffs, but were outplayed in every phase of the game in the ALDS by a hungry Cleveland team.

So, how bad was it? As a team, the Red Sox hit .214 for the series, and a measly .163 with runners in scoring position. And especially in the first game, Red Sox hitters were swinging at air. Pitching? Forget about it. The team had an ERA of 5.04, and the big money guy, David Price, had a 13.50 ERA (so much for that $214 million contract - yikes!). The Red Sox could not get any momentum in any facet of the game, and with the exception of Andrew Benintendi and Brock Holt, no one on the roster really performed up to the bar they had set all season.

Now for the plus side - this will be a good learning curve for the young guys, and having that playoff experience under their belt will help them next year. And with no David Ortiz on the field, that should put more on the shoulders of guys like Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and the rest of the young core, but I think they are ready.

And the lineup was one huge positive for the Sox all season long, from Ortiz's monster final season to Mookie Betts having an MVP-caliber season, Andrew Benintendi showing flashes of brilliance both at the plate and in the field, and finally having 5 guys (Ortiz, Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramirez, and Jackie Bradley) with over 20 home runs.

What's next?
So, what's in store this off-season? The Red Sox have to fill David Ortiz's very large shoes at DH. In Spring Training, I would have advocated Hanley in that role, and that's still possible, but Hanley proved what I thought early in the year wrong, and I'm grateful for it. He was above average at 1st base, and I'd be fine keeping him there after what he has done this year. Edwin Encarnacion is out there, but I would say try Pablo Sandoval there, but I'm not the one making the decisions, and the verdict is still out on Panda. One thing is clear - filling Ortiz's spot will make for an interesting offseason.

Farwell, Papi:
On that note, it's time for the hardest part: Saying good bye to David Ortiz. He's been without a doubt the most important player in Red Sox history, winning 3 World Series championships. He changed the culture around Fenway, and he played the game with a huge smile from ear to ear every day. It's going to be depressing when he's not on the Opening Day roster, but the time was right for him to go.

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