A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Cathedral: March 2023

I don’t have a lot of time to finish this, so here is a quick stab at this year:

American League

East

Toronto Blue Jays

I don’t like the loss of Hernandez, but they have upgraded a bit in the pitching staff. They are too stacked to not succeed.

New York Yankees

They have a fair number of injuries and other question marks, but they still have too much quality to fall much lower.

Baltimore Orioles

They made a huge step up last year, similar to 2015 Astros, but I think they will level-off this year before taking the next big step. Lots of fun youngsters to watch.

Tampa Bay Rays

It seems the same every year: they don’t look like much on paper but somehow they win. I expect them to be around .500. Will Glasnow ever have a full season?

Boston Red Sox

Does anybody know what they’re doing? Do they know? As someone else said: “you’re the Red Sox, act like it!”

Central

Minnesota Twins

I keep believing in this team, and they keep underperforming. One of these years they will actually play up to potential. Maybe this year? I like the addition of Pablo Lopez.

Cleveland team

I was very wrong about them last year, somehow they found a way to win. They still have a great pitching staff, and just enough offense around Ramirez to keep them winning. Josh Bell should be a good addition.

Kansas City Royals

They are trending in the right direction, but they will still be below .500. In a year or two, they may be challenging for the division.

Chicago White Sox

Talk about disappointing…at least they got rid of LaRussa. They should be contenders, but I have zero faith in them.

Detroit Tigers

Aging veterans and disappointing young players, it’s a terrible combination. Hinch deserves better.

West

Houston Astros

This is not just a homer pick, it is hard to find holes in this team. Altuve will miss possibly two months, but once he and Brantley are healthy, and eventually McCullers, they should be a machine.

Seattle Mariners

Well they finally made it back to the playoffs, and they look to be continuing to improve. They should be good, but I’m not totally sold on them.

Los Angeles Angels

Honestly, the rest of this division is not very good. As always, yes they have Trout and Ohtani, but what else? They’ll probably be around .500, which will make it hard for them to pull the trigger on trading Ohtani. Instead they’ll probably hold on to him, lose him in free agency, and then look even worse.

Texas Rangers

Boy are they happy to spend money, but for what? Sure, deGrom is great…when he’s healthy. Can you pencil in more than 15 starts for him? Seager should do better with the shift gone, but overall I see them as another middling team.

Oakland Athletics

I feel like they’re trying to follow the Astros of a decade ago, tank a bunch and draft well. We’ll see if it works, and if they’re still in Oakland by the time they win again.

National League

East

Atlanta Braves

I don’t think this division is quite as good as people expect. The Braves have the fewest question marks, and the best depth, so I have them winning the division

New York Mets

The Mets are spending like crazy, but so many question marks and, of course, Diaz is done for the season. They should win over 90 and compete for the division.

Philadelphia Phillies

Well they surprised a lot of people last year, including myself. They barely snuck into the playoffs (thanks stupid expanded playoffs) and then got hot at the right time. Yes, they have a strong team, but I don’t have as much faith in them (and Harper will miss significant time).

Miami Marlins

Too young, and they keep trading away good players. Why don’t they want to win?

Washington Nationals

Who is on this team?

Central

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cards and Brewers are basically polar opposites. Cards are strong offensively and questionable pitching; the Brewers are strong pitching and questionable offensively. The Cards should be just strong enough in both to win an incredibly weak division.

Milwaukee Brewers

If Winker returns to form, if Yelich shows any kind of star form, if Tellez continues to hit bombs, if, if, if. They could easily win the division, but I don’t have faith in the offense.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Cruz and Reynolds are both stars, and I think Hayes will have a better year. They also brought back McCutchen. No, they won’t win, but they will be better.

Chicago Cubs

Some people are picking them to be good, but not me. They are clearly a losing team.

Cincinnati Reds

Just a terrible team. Votto deserves better.

West

San Diego Padres

I’ve been bitten by them in the past, but they just have too much quality to fail. They should finish with the most wins in baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers

They lost a good amount in Trea Turner and have some significant injuries to cover up. Sure, they’ll make the playoffs, but they shouldn’t compete for the division past the All Star Break.

Arizona Diamondbacks

They’ve made some good moves and have some good young prospects, plus a couple of legitimate good/great starters. They are still a year or two away, but they could upset some people.

San Francisco Giants