I was out on a hike this morning with a buddy of mine, and he informed me that today was opening day in the MLB. I had no idea. I really do not follow baseball anymore, and with the pandemic, I follow it even less. I am so much more involved with my son's team. We started practice the other week, we have a tournament coming up and I am focused on teaching him the game because he seems to be enjoying himself. I didn't even remember that the Cardinals traded for Nolan Arenado, or that Tatis and a few other guys got 300 million dollar contracts. I was reminded of all of this after my buddy told me that it was opening day.

As I do every season, I have my version of a preview. This year, and I say this every year but it holds so much more weight now, please take my picks with the biggest grain of salt you can find. I truly do not know too terribly much anymore. Hell, I didn't realize how old Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina are now. I assumed they were still in their prime. Anyway, I do have some picks, so let's get to it.

I'll start with the American League. When I looked at the teams to get an idea, the only two that really popped out to me were the Yankees and Twins. I'm sure other teams are good, but I at least know of some guys on both these teams. In the AL East, I have to pick the Yankees. I know the Rays have been a solid team, I believe they even made the playoffs in the shortened season last year (ed note: They made the World Series and won a couple of games), so I am sure they will be some kind of threat. And the Blue Jays do have Vlad Guerrero Jr, and that kid rules. But they are the new disappointment team every year. As for Boston and Baltimore, they were both bad, especially Baltimore, and I do not think they did anything to change that this offseason. I think the Yankees will roll.

The Twins should roll in the AL Central. They are the best team. They are the AL version of Atlanta. They are up and coming, but their time is now. The Indians will be okay because they always are, but they have some off field stuff they need to deal with first. The Royals are bad, and so are the Tigers. Those teams will be lucky to win 70 games. The White Sox are kind of a wild card, but I know they lost a key hitter to injury. We will see. But the Twins are the cream of the crop here.

The AL West seems like a real dumpster fire. The Rangers are allowing their stadium to be at full capacity, so they will most definitely have a COVID stop that will crush them. The Mariners seemingly are never going to get over the hump. The Angels are wasting Mike Trout's best years. And the Astros are a bunch of cheaters. I guess this means I am going with Oakland, but Oakland always bows out early in the playoffs. They will win the division, and then get swept in the first round by a team that might not be as good as them.

As for the AL champ, I am going with the Yankees strictly because they have the most guys that I still know, and if those guys are healthy, they are going to hit a ton of homers.

Now for the National League.

The NL East is off to a bad start already with the Mets and Nationals postponing their opening game due to COVID. That being said, I think I am going with the Mets to win this division. They have one of those 300 million dollar guys, and they made a ton of offseason moves that look helpful. The Nationals do have a good amount of pitching, but I think their window is closed. The Marlins were better than I thought in the shortened season, but they are still so very young. They're not ready yet. The Phillies have Bryce Harper, but I think both parties are regretting that deal. And the Braves are very, very good. I think they will be a playoff team, but I think it will be a wild card. Hell, they may win it all. But the Mets made those moves, and they want to win. That is why I am picking them.

The Dodgers are going to roll yet again in the NL West. They are absolutely loaded everywhere. They are the new Yankees. They are the Warriors and Bulls of the MLB. They are the Patriots. They are Alabama. They are unstoppable. The Padres will fight and claw and win some games, and Tatis Jr is awesome, but they are not the Dodgers. And the rest of this division is very mediocre. The Giants are in a swoon period, the Diamondbacks have spent money, but they have traded away great assets and the Rockies are .500 at best. The Dodgers are the cream of the crop.

The NL Central features my hometown team, and they have a very good lineup now, but they do not have the best pitching. That being said, I think they will win the Central this year. The Cubs are very good, but they seem like a team that is going to blow things up soon. They are not going to be able to keep everyone. RD's team, the Reds, have Joey Votto, and not really anything else. They have let good players walk for nothing. I think RD would agree with me (ed note: yup). The Pirates are as bad as Baltimore. And the Brewers are very good, but last year may have been a one time thing. I am going with my heart here and picking the Cardinals.

As for the NL champ, it is the Dodgers. Duh. They are too damn good to get beat. I also have them winning another World Series. They are the best team in baseball. Hell, they may go through the playoffs undefeated. They should win well over 100 games. The Dodgers are the dominant team in baseball. Full stop.

Ty

Another View

Ty is right about almost everything here. The Reds will stink again, along with three quarters of the American League. The Dodgers look loaded, but it has never been easy for them, and something seems to happen to the team in a more semi normal season. The Padres, Braves, and Cardinals could take down the Dodgers in a playoff series. The Cardinals are old, the Padres are young, and the Braves are just right to make that midseason trade and win the NL Pennant.

In the American League it is the Yankees and everyone else. Unfortunately for New York, their big guys either under produce or they get hurt. This leaves an opening for an upcoming team, a team like the Chicago White Sox.

Atlanta will beat Chicago in six games to win the second COVID World Series.

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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