After the very strange 2020 60-game Season, anything resembling a normal season will be a welcome sight for most fans. Gone is the Universal DH and expanded playoffs (you know the fun rule changes) and back are the 7-Inning Double Headers and Video game awful runner on 2nd base for extra innings (you know the bad rule changes). Despite how poorly baseball seems to be run, I still crave normalcy and that means I want fresh grass, homeruns, strikeouts, and almost nothing else. Let’s break the 2021 Season!
A.L. East: With the Blue Jays (Hello George Springer to protect Vlad in the lineup) clearly getting better and the Rays and Yanks at least holding serve a bit, it seems that the Red Sox are going into this year as an underdog. I do think if things break just right my Sox can still be scrappy and possibly make a late run. Last Place: Orioles (year 7 or the rebuild). Prediction: Jays win division 91-71
A.L. Central: The Twins have the perfect mix of youth (Berrios and Buxton) and savvy Veteran leadership (Donaldson and Cruz) that I think they can hold off a sexy White Sox team that seems primed to make a jump. Cleveland can still pitch, they’re scrappy, but they will be lucky to make 81-81 and the Royals will flash some speed and leather (the black sheep in a homerun happy league maybe?) but have literally no starters…no starters. Last place: Tigers (I mean Dizzy Trout ain’t walking through that door!) Prediction: Twins edge White Sox 93-69
A.L. West: The baseball gods owe the Angels a healthy season but even then, they will need to make a trade to really push for a playoff berth. I like this Oakland team, adding Andrus ,Mitchy Moreland, and Rosenthal. And 2 years past their primes is so A’s! If the baseball gods owe the Angels a healthy year, they for sure owe the Astros a unhealthy year, it seems the train has finally slowed a bit and I think they will be sellers by the All-Star game. Last Place: It’s close, but the Mariners are slightly more awful then the Rangers. Prediction: A’s hold off the Angels 90-72
N.L. East: Don’t laugh this might be the best division in baseball! The Mets added Lindor and have the game’s best pitcher, the Braves are deep and fun, and the Phillies at least on paper have enough to make noise. I think the Nationals are the wild card, if Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin and Lester all get to 140-150 innings, they may be the best of the bunch, but that is such a colossal if. Last Place: Miami Marlins of Florida are going to finish last, but they are gonna look sexy doing it! Prediction: Mets edge Braves and Nats 89-73
N.L. Central: The elevation of St. Louis is 1455 meters lower than Denver, someone tell Nolan Arenado’s agent he did an amazing job getting that deal done before it all went downhill. If you are looking for value, the N.L. Central might be the place to go, Vegas has the Cards at 22 to 1, the Cubs at 35 to 1, the Brew-Crew at 30 to 1, and the Reds at 30 to 1, that tells me that Vegas doesn’t know what the fuck to do here. I think the Cards have just enough, but as a betting man I will bet on the Brewers, something about that squad screams secret stadium sauce mojo! Last Place: Pirates, these aren’t the Bucs you were looking for. Prediction: Brewers in a sneaky tight finish 88-74.
N.L. West: It seems unfair, like someone unlocked the secret code of a video game and was like ok you get Trevor Bauer, Mickey Mantle, and Halle Berry. For that reason I am in love with the Padres, are they good enough to take down the Dodgers? Probably not. Does anyone in Slam Diego care about baseball? Not really. Do we kind of hate the Dodgers now, yea, yea we kind of do. Paddack and Snell are legit, and they have the best young talent in the game (perhaps the savior) in Tatis Jr. The Giants, Rockies and Diamondbacks are all bad, like real bad, all the more reason the Padre-Dodger season long rivalry will help the game matter out west. Last Place: Diamondbacks, who the fuck are these guys? Prediction: Mark it a fucking zero Donnie! Slam Diego wins the N.L. East 96-66
A.L. Wild Cards: Angels and White Sox
N.L. Wild Cards: Dodgers and Braves
World Series: Padres and White Sox
Gotta go, I’ve got a guy on the other line about some whitewalls.
Enjoy the 2021 Season, Let’s Play Ball!
Nick is a contributing member to E2W Podcast and writes a movie blog Reelwatchability.com. He also played baseball in the California Penal league where he put snot on the baseball regularly.
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