Why did you select the Rays?
The Rays might be the leagues most innovative team, which makes them the group most likely to find hidden opportunities in these anomalous scenarios. I d pick the Yankees wealth and skill to win out in 162 games, however in 60 games, the space is minimal, and the division might go to the team that initially determines how to make this once-in-a-lifetime schedule work for it.– Sam Miller.
AL Central.
Our choice: Twins (24 ).
Who else got votes? Indians (5 ), White Sox (3 ).
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In a standard sense, the Padres are probably a minimum of a year or more away. But reduce the season to 60 games and all of an unexpected a lineup including Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. might be a major difference-maker, and young beginners like Chris Paddack, MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino can pitch without much constraint, and a dominant reliever like Kirby Yates can be utilized more easily.– Alden Gonzalez.
AL and NL champions.
Kim Klement/USA TODAY SportsAmerican League.
Our pick: Yankees (14 ).
Who else got votes: Rays (7 ), Twins (3 ), Indians (3 ), As (3 ), Astros (2 ).
Why did you select the White Sox?
Baseballs back! You can enjoy the start of 2020s 60-game sprint starting with a Yankees-Nats matchup Thursday night and continuing through the weekend.
Thursday – Yankees at Nationals, 7 p.m. – Giants at Dodgers, 10 p.m.
Friday – Braves at Mets, 4 p.m. – Brewers at Cubs, 7 p.m. – Angels at Athletics, 10 p.m.
Sunday – Braves at Mets, 7 p.m. – Giants at Dodgers, 10 p.m.
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Amongst the trio of AL divisions, the Central is the most wide-open, and in between Cleveland, Chicago and Minnesota, the White Sox possess the greatest ceiling during this boom-or-bust season. Tim Anderson emerged as a genuine offensive force at shortstop last season, winning the batting title regardless of playing in fewer than 130 video games, while Lucas Giolito lived up to his former consensus top pitching possibility hype for the very first time to the tune of a 3.41 ERA in 29 starts and an All-Star appearance.
AL West.
Our choice: Astros (17 ).
Who else got votes: As (11 ), Angels (4 ).
I d choose the Yankees wealth and talent to win out in 162 games, but in 60 games, the gap is negligible, and the department might go to the team that first figures out how to make this unbelievable schedule work for it. I selected the Angels to win the AL West not only because of Houstons loss of Gerrit Cole to the Yankees but likewise since the Angels added Anthony Rendon and have a totally healthy Shohei Ohtani back in action. Of the three comparable top competitors, I cant select the Astros given all the unpredictability and acrimony around their offseason, while the Yankees have to get out of the more difficult league (featuring six of the top seven teams in FanGraphs forecasted group WAR). The Tampa Bay Rays are a deep and dangerous group, and I intended to pick them to win the 2020 World Series. In seeing the Yankees in the summer camp, in seeing the staggering build-up of skill– magnified by the return from injury for Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge– selecting versus them would be like selecting against the Harlem Globetrotters.
Why did you select the Nationals?
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FanGraphs has the Nats chances with the Braves to win the division as a coin flip, and thats about where I landed. Im leaning toward the rotational power the Nats have with their Max Scherzer/Stephen Strasburg/Patrick Corbin trio, but the Braves do have a little bit more youth and upside.– Kiley McDaniel.
NL Central.
Our pick: Reds (14 ).
Who else got votes? Makers (7 ), Cubs (6 ), Cardinals (5 ).
Why did you pick the Astros as AL champs?
If we were making these choices in March, Im not sure I would have gone with the Astros. And Im also not sure Houston could cover all of the innings it lost when Gerrit Cole left town for a complete season. The shorter season in front of empty stands actually plays in the Astros favor.
National League.
Our pick: Dodgers (24 ).
Who else got votes? Braves (2 ), Nationals (2 ), Brewers (2 ), Diamondbacks (1 ): Reds (1 ).
After a hold-up of nearly four months, the 2020 MLB season will begin on Thursday night when the Washington Nationals host the New York Yankees (7 ET, ESPN). Its time to determine our expectations for what we expect to occur in the shortened 60-game season.
Will the Nationals repeat? Is this the year the Los Angeles Dodgers end their long championship drought? Will Gerrit Cole pitch the Yankees to their very first title since 2009?
From amongst our columnists, researchers, editors and authors, we polled 32 of ESPNs leading baseball experts to see what they anticipate, asking them about whos going to win their respective divisions along with whos going to win their leagues and ultimately the World Series.
To see who our experts think will leave with the MVP and other hardware at the end of the 2020 season, take a look at our award forecasts.
Dive to forecasts for: National League|AL and NL champs|World Series champ
American League
AL East
Our pick: Yankees (21 votes).
Who else got votes? Rays (11 ).
Why did you select the Reds?
The NL Central appears to be the most wide-open department. When in doubt, default to beginning pitching, and the Reds should be the class of the division with Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley and Anthony DeSclafani. Include brand-new source of power Mike Moustakas and Nicholas Castellanos, and the Reds lineup should be improved too.– Dave Schoenfield.
NL West.
Our choice: Dodgers (32 ).
Atlanta approached 100 wins last year and arguably enhanced this offseason, adding solid veterinarians (Marcell Ozuna, Travis dArnaud, Cole Hamels) to one of the best young skill cores in baseball. With sneaky depth to take benefit of the new DH, theyre a top-five talent right now and are the group best geared up to take on the Dodgers in October.
Why did you pick the Indians?
People seem to ignore the Indians winning 93 games a year ago, regardless of myriad concerns with the lineup (Jose Ramirez, the outfield) and rotation (Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco). The upgraded lineup is deeper and more powerful, led by an inspired MVP prospect in Francisco Lindor; the rotation appears healthy; and with a rather attractive schedule, Cleveland ought to cruise to the postseason, where a veteran manager with numerous World Series rings adds another.– Eric Karabell.
Why did you choose the Brewers?
Its an uncommon year, so why not an unusual choice? Someones going to get hot come October, so why not a team that has advanced to the postseason in back-to-back seasons, has a strong lineup and is willing to optimize matches at any point in the game on the pitching side?
Why did you pick the Dodgers?
My theory on the 2020 season: Health is the single crucial variable in a 60-game season. The antidote to the possibility of poor health is depth. There is no deeper team than the Dodgers. And its really gifted, high-ceiling, star-caliber depth too, with possibility capital to supplement through August trades or September roster additions.– Jeff Passan.
Small samples are typically horrible for the favorites, however thanks to an outrageous lineup and a weak division– the NLs finest stars at the top, the NLs most depth at the bottom– the Dodgers are the one team that must be fluke-proof in the regular season. Theyre the finest group in baseball, and the next 4, in my opinion, are all in the AL, an onslaught the Dodgers get to prevent until the World Series.– Sam Miller.
While Im worried that more decline from Kenley Jansen could actually undermine things, I likewise do not desire to overthink it. The Dodgers won 106 video games last season and outscored opponents by 273 runs. They traded for Mookie Betts. I know the arithmetic never works out that straightforward, but the bottom line is that probably baseballs best team added one of baseballs finest four or 5 gamers.– Bradford Doolittle.
Of the three similar leading competitors, I cant pick the Astros offered all the uncertainty and acrimony around their offseason, while the Yankees have to leave the harder league (including six of the leading seven teams in FanGraphs predicted team WAR). Even apart from those 2 aspects, the Dodgers are most likely my slight choice for the very best choice of these 3 anyway.– Kiley McDaniel.
Why did you pick the Yankees?
The Tampa Bay Rays are a hazardous and deep group, and I meant to choose them to win the 2020 World Series. In enjoying the Yankees in the summer season camp, in seeing the incredible build-up of talent– magnified by the return from injury for Miguel Andujar, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge– selecting against them would be like picking versus the Harlem Globetrotters. Or selecting versus the Alcindor/Walton UCLA Bruins, or the 98- 00 Yankees.
Even in a shortened season, Gerrit Cole has the ability to control, leading the Yankees to a championship in his first season in pinstripes. New Yorks depth up and down the lineup and in the bullpen likewise prove to be significant elements, as the Bronx Bombers end up on top for the first time since 2009.– Harrison Marder.
Why did you select the Rays?
I predict the Rays to have the finest pitching personnel in the majors, led by Charlie Morton, 2018 Cy Young winner Blake Snell and potential 2020 Cy Young winner Tyler Glasnow. The bullpen is deep and the lineup better than people understand with 2019 All-Stars Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe and the ability to squadron at several positions.– David Schoenfield.
Insert your own joke beaten into the ground about the Rays being utilized to playing in front of no crowd at Tropicana Field. Now, sure sure, Tampa Bays roster has a lot of experience playing in front of sparse crowds, however it likewise suggests a few of its lineups intense areas go undercovered.
Meadows, acquired in the Chris Archer deal with Pittsburgh, became among the very best bats in the department, and theres a possible bounce-back on the horizon from Snell, who had a hard time in 2019 to repeat the success of his 2018 Cy Young campaign. Include Morton and a perennially strong bullpen pieced together by the teams analytically driven decision-makers and Tampa Bay has everything needed to make a strong run in a small-sample-size season. Tampa Bay dealt away one of its top offensive dangers in Tommy Pham and hope Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, who struck 29 homers for the Yokohama BayStars in the NPB in 2019, can replace a few of that production.
Baseballs postseason is always chaotic– the midseason punch line-to-wild card-to-champions Nationals being proof of that in 2015– and the Rays appear located to navigate all of it.– Joon Lee.
Why did you select the Braves?
Why did you select the Angels?
I picked the Angels to win the AL West not just since of Houstons loss of Gerrit Cole to the Yankees however likewise because the Angels included Anthony Rendon and have a fully healthy Shohei Ohtani back in action. Their pitching is suspect, however anything can take place in a 60-game season, specifically when you have Mike Trout.
Why did you choose the As?
Why did you select the Braves as NL champs?
If you had any doubts about the incredible talent of Ronald Acuna Jr. prior to last season, his 2019 project immediately silenced any doubters. Between Acuna and Ozzie Albies, the Braves have one of the very best talent cores in the league. Toss in the introduction of Mike Soroka last year and the finalizing of Marcell Ozuna, and Atlanta brings a team with offensive depth– whichs without including star first baseman Freddie Freeman, one of the most prominent gamers to check favorable for the coronavirus. Atlanta lost Josh Donaldson to totally free agency however brings back much of the core that led to 97 wins last season. Itll require a healthy Freeman to make a run at the World Series title, but the skill Atlanta gives the table is amongst the very best the National League has to use.– Joon Lee.
Why did you pick the Reds?
The Reds arent an ideal group but have no significant weaknesses. A stacked lineup will only be assisted by the DH as this group is no longer Joey Votto and a lot of no-names. The additions of Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos alone make them the offense to beat in the NL Central. And they have simply enough pitching to come out on top.– Jesse Rogers.
World Series champion.
AP Photo/Gregory BullOur choice: Dodgers (18 ).
Who else got votes? Yankees (6 ), Rays (3 ), Brewers (2 ), Braves (1 ), Nationals (1 ), Indians (1 ).
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I believe the balance of Oaklands lineup assists in the out of balance schedule of the brief season, particularly going up against some shallow lineups in the 2 Western divisions– outside of the Dodgers, obviously. The Astros are absolutely going to miss out on Gerrit Cole, and that makes the difference in a 60-game sprint.– Christina Kahrl.
AL wild cards.
Votes: Rays (21 ), Yankees (10 ), Astros (10 ), Indians (5 ), White Sox (6 ), Twins (4 ), As (4 ), Angels (3 ), Blue Jays (1 ).
Why do you think the As will get among the AL wild-card areas?
Its difficult to make a numbers-based case that Oakland ought to be preferred over the Astros in the AL West, however the As have one of the finest 5 or six lineups in baseball. Whats more, their strengths– team defense and relief pitching– must help them discover their way as every group seeks to rapidly find a rhythm in this odd season.– Bradford Doolittle.
National League.
NL East:.
Our choice: Braves (16 ).
Who else got votes? Nationals (10 ), Mets (4 ), Phillies (2 ).
Everyone picked the Dodgers in the NL West, but if one group were to capture them, which would it be?
The Padres are an elegant choice, but Ill opt for the Diamondbacks, who have an excellent protective group anchored by shortstop Nick Ahmed, a star in Ketel Marte and a potentially top rotation with Madison Bumgarner, Robbie Ray, Zac Gallen, Luke Weaver and Merrill Kelly.– David Schoenfield.
NL wild cards.
Votes: Nationals (12 ), Mets (8 ), Diamondbacks (8 ), Braves (7 ), Padres (7 ), Cubs (5 ), Brewers (5 ), Cardinals (5 ), Phillies (4 ), Reds (3 ).
Why do you think the Padres will earn a wild-card spot?
