A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Cathedral: March 2021

It’s been (almost exactly) two years, and a lot has happened since then, but I’m going to try to get back into this by starting with my predictions for the 2021 season. Last year was a bit of a mess, to say the least. I reluctantly followed the start of the season, unhappy with a lot of the rule changes, then I stopped watching around the time of the Jackie Robinson game when my beloved Astros decided to take political things too far and walk off the field before the game started. You know none of those teams would have done that if there were paying fans in the stands. Regardless, I got sucked back in during the playoffs, which ended with disappointment. Now, I’m ready for a full season with way more question marks than most seasons, for many reasons. Without further ado (there’s been too much already), here’s my season predictions which are sure to be way off:

American League

East

New York Yankees

I hate to admit when the Yankees are stacked, but they are. They made a trade for the only good Pirates pitcher, as well as some other arms, and they didn’t really lose anything. As usual, the biggest question is how much time Judge and Stanton will miss. They’re just too strong not to win a good division.

Toronto Blue Jays

I’m very high on the Blue Jays. I was even before they signed Springer, but now they have unquestionably the most exciting offense in the game. They remind me a lot of the 2015 Astros: maybe a season away from everything coming together but they will surprise a lot of people and make the playoffs. If they get one more solid starter, they can be really competitive.

Tampa Bay Rays

It’s hard to pick them to finish this low, but I’m concerned that they lost their two top starters. The franchise is run so well that they will be good, and certainly at least be in the mix for a Wild Card spot.

Boston Red Sox

They’re in a full rebuild mode, despite still having one of the highest payrolls in the game, and Chris Sale will miss most of the season. They still have some good pieces, but the pitching alone will have them south of .500. More than likely J.D. Martinez will be dealt, if someone will eat the remainder of his contract (through 2022).

Baltimore Orioles

Not the worst team in baseball, and probably not the worst team in the American League anymore, but they’re still a ways away from competing. This season is mostly about getting some of the young players some experience that will hopefully pay off in a few years.

Central

Minnesota Twins

I’ve been high on the Twins for a few years now, and nothing has really changed. They may be a little light on pitching, but their offense is so good it’s not too big a deal. Hopefully some day they’ll actually win in the playoffs.

Chicago White Sox

Most people are picking the White Sox to win, and certainly they have a solid team, but I have a hard time placing all my trust in this team. At the very least, they’ll be a Wild Card team.

Cleveland Indians

Their window has shut, and the trade of Lindor was the final blow. A few years ago they had one of the best rotations in baseball, now all of them are gone and replaced by solid but not great starters.

Kansas City Royals

It will be interesting if they hang on to Perez, Merrifield, and Mondesi or if they trade them to continue the rebuild. If so, they might slip to the bottom of the division.

Detroit Tigers

Continuing their rebuild, but closer to moving up then you might think. Bringing in A.J. Hinch was a bit of a coup. Their current starters might not be great, but they have some great arms in the Minors. They should be towards the top of the division in two or three years.

West

Houston Astros

This is easily the worst division in baseball, and it seems like the Astros are the least terrible team here, because they all have holes. No Verlander is a huge blow, they didn’t get anybody (of substance) to replace Springer, and Framber Valdez may be out for some time. If they top 90 wins, it’s only because of the division.

Oakland Athletics

On paper, especially in the pitching department, they don’t look like much outside the corner infielders. But you can never count them out.

Los Angeles Angels

Yes, they have Trout and Rendon, but their pitching is terrible. It’s amazing how they haven’t even tried to build a legitimate contender around Trout.

Seattle Mariners

Very young, very rebuilding, very far from competitive. The highlight of their season might be the interview by their now-former president.

Texas Rangers

This seems like a dumpster fire of a team. Their best player can mash, but he usually hovers around the Mendoza line. They traded away their only decent starter. Are they trying to duplicate what the Astros did about 10 years ago?

National League

East

Atlanta Braves

Very close to the World Series last year, and I don’t see them regressing at all but only getting better. Acuna is one of the most exciting players in baseball, and the rest of the team feeds off him.

New York Mets

They really went after it this offseason, but they also missed on some big free agents. deGrom is older than you think, and Syndergaard is hurt again, but they have a decently deep pitching staff.

Washington Nationals

I have to believe that Scherzer will return to norm, and they still have Strasburg and Corbin for a strong top of the rotation. Soto and Turner are superstars, but there’s a lot of question marks elsewhere.

Philadelphia Phillies

They brought back Realmuto, they still have Harper, they have a decent starting rotation, and they have hope in Alec Bohm, but this team loves to disappoint. It’s a loaded division, so I don’t see them moving higher.

Miami Marlins

The biggest surprise team last year, but there’s no way the play that well for a full season. They could be good in a few years, but not this year.

Central

St. Louis Cardinals

The addition of Arenado has made them the clear favorites in a tight (but not great) division. If they fail to win the division, it will probably because of the lack of pitching.

Milwaukee Brewers

For the first time…ever, the strength of this team might be the pitching. They have one of the best bullpens in baseball, and some solid starters in Woodruff and Burnes. Yelich has to return to MVP form, and Hiura needs to be the bat that they expect him to be.

Cincinnati Reds

The sexy pick last year that fell flat. The offense has to be better than it was last year. They should fight for a Wild Card spot.

Chicago Cubs

I’m surprised that a lot of people have them doing okay this year. Bryant and Baez seem lost. They’re far from the Champion team of a few years ago.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The only real bright spot on this team is Hayes. Not only will they be the worst team in baseball, they might struggle to not set a record for losses.

West

Los Angeles Dodgers

They’re such a boring and pretentious team, but they are stacked and I hate it. They might end up with the best record in baseball, because the bottom three in this division will probably be pretty bad, but they shouldn’t run away with the division.

San Diego Padres

I would love to pick them to win the division, but I just can’t do it. With the Blue Jays, they should be the most exciting team to watch. They could win 100 games, again because the rest of the division is weak.

Arizona Diamondbacks

One of the most disappointing teams last year, they tried to compete, failed, and gave up. They shouldn’t be horrible, but no chance to compete in the division.

San Francisco Giants