To be clear, we obviously don’t know who’s going to win, as this is strictly opinion-based. We’ve been watching baseball for years and usually have a pretty good idea on how things pan out, but one of the things that makes baseball so great is the unpredictability.

The National League West

2019 Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers

So here’s the rundown for the LA Dodgers – on paper, they’re superior. This has been the case for the past few years, so they’re basically penciled in to be in the postseason, pending excessive injuries. We think the Rockies and Diamondbacks will improve but not enough to take the division. While we do see them getting off to hot starts we don’t think they have the depth to survive the entire 162-game season.

Team Ratings

Total: 8.0
Offense: 8
Defense: 9
Starting Pitching: 7.5
Bullpen: 8
Bench: 8.5
Energy: 6.5

5 Key Difference Makers

• Corey Seager
• Cody Bellinger
• Clayton Kershaw
• Justin Turner
• A.J. Pollock

Dark Horse: Kenta Maeda

The National League Central

2019 Winner: Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have continued to improve over the past few years and we’ve been impressed. With their fairly recent acquisitions, their talent has become matched up with their energy, making them a true contender. They looked great in last year’s postseason and we only see them getting better. Prior to the start of the 2019 season, the Brewers have a big chance of getting star closer, Craig Kimbrel, who would be a major piece of their success. With a stronger lineup, Kimbrel would be their key to securing more leads and gaining more ground in their division.

Team Ratings

Total: 8.2
Offense: 9
Defense: 9
Starting Pitching: 7.5
Bullpen: 8
Bench: 8
Energy: 7.5

5 Key Difference Makers

• Eric Thames
• Ryan Braun
• Christian Yelich
• Mike Moustakas
• Lorenzo Cain

Dark Horse: Travis Shaw

The National League East

2019 Winner: Philadelphia Phillies

The NL East is going to be downright interesting! With the emergence of the young and talented Phillies and Braves, they division (and throne) has been taken from the Nationals for the foreseeable future. The electrifying talent is gaining traction, but the Phillies will have the edge after the acquisition of Bryce Harper, David Robertson, and Andrew McCutchen. Their offense should be enough to match their defense, which should make them a true contender and many are expecting Maikel Franco to have a big year.

Team Ratings

Total: 8.3
Offense: 9
Defense: 8
Starting Pitching: 8
Bullpen: 8.5
Bench: 8.5
Energy: 8

5 Key Difference Makers

• Bryce Harper
• Jake Arrieta
• Maikel Franco
• David Robertson
• Andrew McCutchen

Dark Horse: Roman Quinn

The National League Wild Card

Atlanta Braves

After such a suddenly impressive 2018, the Atlanta Braves are going to continue to shake things up this year. As successful as 2018 was, the team used the opportunity to strengthen and mature, which will make this year interesting. Freddy Freeman is healthy and their pitching is getting stronger, so putting these two things together means they’re expecting to win. We don’t think they’ll be quite as good as Philadelphia, but it will be close.

Team Ratings

Total: 7.9
Offense: 8
Defense: 8.5
Starting Pitching: 7.5
Bullpen: 8
Bench: 7
Energy: 8.5

5 Key Difference Makers

• Freddie Freeman
• Josh Donaldson
• Nick Markakis
• Julio Teheran
• Ozhaino Albies

Dark Horse: Brian McCann

Colorado Rockies

Another up and coming team is the Colorado Rockies, whose power and consistent pitching impressed fans in 2018. They’ll have their work cut out for them this year with LA, so staying healthy will be a priority for them. Speaking of injuries, with the addition of Daniel Murphy, we expect to see more run production, so it will be really fun to see how that plays out.

Team Ratings

Total: 8.0
Offense: 8.5
Defense: 8
Starting Pitching: 8
Bullpen: 7.5
Bench: 8
Energy: 8

5 Key Difference Makers

• Nolan Arenado
• Charlie Blackmon
• Ian Desmond
• Daniel Murphy
• Wade Davis

Dark Horse: Mark Reynolds

2019 Wildcard Winner

The Atlanta Braves

It’s obviously going to be a tough call, but we think the Braves have what it takes to pass the tests. We think it’s going to come down to depth and that’s where Atlanta will come through. There are a lot of factors to consider, so get ready for a great season!

Be sure to check out our other sports and MLB posts.

The post These National League Teams Will Make it to the Postseason in 2019 appeared first on Koshka.

Disclosure: Here’s the thing – this isn’t virtual baseball! While these results are projected and more likely to happen than not, anything can happen because all these teams are great. That’s what makes baseball so fun to watch!

The American League West

2018 Winner: The Houston Astros

Team Ratings

Total: 8.5
Offense: 9
Defense: 9.5
Starting Pitching: 9
Bullpen: 7
Bench: 8
Energy: 8.5
5 Key Difference Makers: Justin Verlander, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Dallas Keuchel, Alex Bregman
Dark Horse: George Springer

Coming into the 2018 season, we all expected the AL West to be a complete lock. The defending champions in Houston have proven themselves to be a real force to be reckoned with from just about all aspects.

For whatever reason, the Astros tend to win more when Springer is producing. He’s a very good overall player but can be streaky (like most players) at times. His performance in key situations, both during the regular season and in October will definitely rely on George Springers’ performance.

The American League Central

2018 Winner: The Cleveland Indians

Team Ratings

Total: 6.5
Offense: 8
Defense: 7
Starting Pitching: 7
Bullpen: 5
Bench: 5
Energy: 7
5 Key Difference Makers: Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller, Edwin Encarnacion
Dark Horse:

The American League East

2018 Winner: The New York Yankees

Team Ratings

Total: 8.4
Offense: 10
Defense: 7.5
Starting Pitching: 6.5
Bullpen: 9.5
Bench: 9
Energy: 8
5 Key Difference Makers: Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Sir Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez
Dark Horse: Masahiro Tanaka

The AL East is without a doubt going to be the tightest division, not just in the American League, but in all of baseball. We think the Yankees will take the division over the Red Sox by an extremely slim margin (no more than two games). The major key here is their starting pitching rotation. If they can get more consistency out of the rear end of their starting rotation, they can get more depth from their team, lose fewer leads, and get the most out of the best bullpen in the game.

The pitching sensation from Japan has shown the American League his skills over the last few years. One of the biggest concerns is his elbow. He will need Tommy John surgery at some point, we just aren’t sure so it’s a concern that follows him every day. The side effects were prevalent a year or two ago when his velocity dropped and endurance suffered. This year, Tanaka’s velocity has increased, suggesting that he has at least a few years left. Tanaka has proven to be a good big game pitcher, though can be inconsistent during the season, making small mistakes that lead to pesky home runs. A big run from Tanaka would really solidify the Yankees’ rotation and take a lot of pressure off the bullpen and management.

The American League Wild Card

2018 Winner: The Boston Red Sox

Team Ratings

Total: 8.4
Offense: 9
Defense: 9
Starting Pitching: 8.5
Bullpen: 8.5
Bench: 7.5
Energy: 8

Despite our prediction that they will not win their division, we can’t ignore the fact that the Boston Red Sox is an unbelievable team. In such a short turnaround (2 years) they were able to go from a moderately above average team to an absolute force contending for the top spot. They are a team without a clear weakness and will have to continue to be consistent if they wish to advance into deep October.

5 Key Difference Makers: J.D Martinez, Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, Jackie Bradley Jr, Xander Bogaerts
Dark Horse: David Price

Over the course of his career, David Price has proven himself to be a top-notch pitcher. Between his plus fastball, excellent live movement, and devastating slider, he’s been tough on many hitters. However, he hasn’t been quite as effective over the last few years and has not seen much success during the postseason. David Price stepping up would put the Red Sox above the pack and would make them the potential favorite to win the World Series.

2018 Winner: The Seattle Mariners

Team Ratings

Total: 7.4
Offense: 8
Defense: 8.5
Starting Pitching: 8
Bullpen: 7
Bench: 6
Energy: 7
5 Key Difference Makers: James Paxton, Nelson Cruz, Dee Gordon, Robinson Cano, Jean Segura
Dark Horse: Felix Hernandez

King Felix (aka Felix Hernandez) has been the best to pitch for Seattle since Randy Johnson. He dominated the American League West for most of his career and is considered to be the best in a Mariners uniform. At a young age of 31, he is started (and is still currently) facing a problem many young fireballers face and that is a decrease in velocity. A 98 mile per hour fastball accidentally left over the plate would have been fouled back in 2012. That same pitch, now closer to 90 will be much more likely to be driven out of the park.

The Yankees’ CC Sabathia recently went through the same transition and had to adopt more of a “finesse” approach. He did it and so will Felix, but the question is when. The rest of his pitches are still strong, but he has to learn to use his fastball more with his brain, rather than his brawn. It will all come down to pure baseball fundamentals. If he can hone in on this new style, King Felix can certainly give this rotation what it needs to give the Boston Red Sox or any other team a run for their money.

2018 Winner: The Boston Red Sox

One thing is clear for the 2018 season – it’s going to be baseball heaven. We are seeing tremendous pitchers, heavy hitters, and various types of teams all fighting for the top spot and we can’t wait to watch every single pitch of it.

The post These American League Teams Will Make the Postseason in 2018 appeared first on Koshka.

Disclosure: Here’s the thing – this isn’t virtual baseball! While these results are projected and (in our opinion) more likely to happen than not, anything is possible because all these teams are great. That’s what makes baseball so fun to watch! After all, baseball is a funny game.

The National League West

2018 Winner: The Los Angeles Dodgers

Team Ratings

Total: 7.75
Offense: 8
Defense: 7.5
Starting Pitching: 9
Bullpen: 8
Bench: 9
Energy: 5
5 Key Difference Makers: Manny Machado, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Yasiel Puig
Dark Horse: Rich Hill

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been an interesting team for a few years now. They were always the team that made it into October but could never finish. Since replacing Don Mattingly with Dave Roberts as manager, the team started to look stronger.

Coming just one game short of being crowned World Series Champions just a short year ago, the Dodgers have seemed to have lost something. But the inconsistency hasn’t stopped them from maintaining contention with the likes of Arizona and Colorado. With the makeup of the team, the Dodgers are still looking to be one of the strongest teams in baseball.

Provided their starting pitching can stay healthy, that will be the key to putting them where they need to be. Seeing a solid playoff performance from their ace, Clayton Kershaw would be the next step! But all in all, their offense, bullpen and overall dynamic will make them difficult to pass and will give them what they need to survive the 162-game marathon of a Major League Baseball season.

The National League Central

2018 Winner: The Chicago Cubs

Team Ratings

Total: 7.5
Offense: 8.5
Defense: 6
Starting Pitching: 6.5
Bullpen: 8.5
Bench: 9
Energy: 6.5
5 Key Difference Makers: Kris Bryant, Jose Quintana, Yu Darvish, Jason Heyward, Javier Baez
Dark Horse: Yu Darvish

The “lovable losers” aren’t seen as losers since breaking the curse and winning the World Series in 2016! Today we see a team carried by a powerful, dynamic line up and elite manager in Joe Madden.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates are giving them a run for their money, but are less likely to be able to sustain their high numbers. The Cubs have more depth and that’s what gets teams over the hump and into the hunt.

We already talked about their powerful lineup – the thing Cubs fans need to worry about is the starting pitching. Jon Lester, Yu Darvish, Jose Quintana and Kyle Hendricks should provide for a strong rotation. The question is pitching down the stretch (and eventually into the playoffs). For this, eyes should be on Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks as they will most likely decide the fate of the Cubs.

The National League East

2018 Winner: The Washington Nationals

Team Ratings

Total: 7.6
Offense: 7.5
Defense: 9.5
Starting Pitching:
Bullpen: 8
Bench: 7.5
Energy: 5
5 Key Difference Makers: Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Ryan Madson
Dark Horse: Adam Eaton