MLB Bold Predictions in Review
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Before the season began, I made a bold prediction for each MLB team. Would it fair out well or not? It was an exciting regular season, and the postseason has us excited as well. Let's take a look how I did.
AL East: New York Yankees: What I said: They would have to many injuries, and only win 75 games at most.
What actually happened: The Yankees called up young players like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, and Tyler Austin. The team played over their heads and won 84 games.
Boston Red Sox: What I said: David Ortiz will win the triple crown in his final MLB season.
What actually happened: He had a .315 batting average with 38 Homers and 127 RBI's. In most seasons, that would be good enough to win the triple crown, but Jose Altuve had the highest batting average (.338) in American League. Mark Trumbo had more homers (47) than David Ortiz.
Tampa Bay Rays: What I said: Chris Archer would lead the AL in ERA.
What actually happened: He had a 4.06 ERA and Aaron Sanchez led the AL in ERA with 3.00.
Baltimore Orioles: What I said: They would win over 90 games.
What actually happened: Very close, they won 89 games.
Toronto Blue Jays: What I said: They would bat .390 as a team.
What actually happened: I made an outrageous statement, and they batted .248 as a team.
AL Central: Minnesota Twins: What I said: They would win the AL Central.
What actually happened: They finished with the worst record in the MLB.
Kansas City Royals: What I said: Their bullpen pitchers would have more wins than their starters.
What actually happened: I was way off. The starters had more wins by a good margin.
Chicago White Sox: What I said: Todd Frazier and Jose Abreu would each have 35 homers.
What actually happened: Frazier hit 40 homers and Abreu hit 25 homers.
Detroit Tigers: Justin Verlander would have a bounce back season and strike out 300 batters.
What actually happened: He struck 254 batters, which isn't far off.
Cleveland Indians: What I said: Carlos Santana would hit the most homers on the team.
What actually happened: He tied with Mike Napoli for 1st on the team with 34 home-runs.
AL West: Houston Astros: What I said: J.J. Correa would take his game to the next level and win AL MVP.
What actually happened: He batted .274 with 20 home-runs and 96 RBI's. That's a nice season, but Mookie Betts or Miguel Cabrera will win the AL MVP award.
LA Angels: What I said: Mike Trout would steal 50 bases.
What actually happened: He stole 30 bases.
Texas Rangers: What I said: The starting rotation would lead the ERA in the AL.
What actually happened: The team had a 4.37 ERA, and it was ranked one of the worse in the AL.
Oakland Athletics: What I said: Coco Crisp would hit 13 home-runs.
What actually happened: Spot on, he hit 11 homers with the A's and 2 with the Indians.
Seattle Mariners: What I said: Felix Hernandez would throw 2 no-hitters.
What actually happened: He didn't throw any.
NL East: New York Mets: What I said: Noah Syndergaard would have the most strikeouts out of the Mets starting rotation.
What actually happened: Spot on, He had 218 strikeouts. He was healthy all season and other starters were banged up. The 2nd closet to Syndergaard was Jacob DeGrom with 143 strikeouts.
Philadelphia Phillies: What I said: Aaron Nola would win 15 games.
What actually happened: He only won 6 games.
Miami Marlins: What I said: Gincarlo Stanton would hit 57 home-runs.
What actually happened: He hit 27 homers, but he was injured again for a part of the season.
Washington Nationals: What I said: Michael Taylor would hit 20 homers and steal 40 bases.
What actually happened: He was in the minor leagues for a part of the season. He had 7 homers and 14 stolen bases.
Atlanta Braves: What I said: They would be the worst team in the MLB.
What actually happened: They finished with a 68-93 record, but the Twins had the worst record in the MLB with a 59-103 record.
NL Central: Chicago Cubs: What I said: They would win 105 games.
What actually happened: Close, they won 103 games.
St. Louis Cardinals: What I said: Stephen Piscotty would lead the team in RBI's.
What actually happened: Matt Carpenter led the team in RBI's with 81.
Pittsburgh Pirates: What I said: The NL got tougher for them, and they wouldn't surpass the 85 win total.
What actually happened: Spot on, they only won 78 games.
Cincinnati Reds: What I said: Billy Hamilton would have a .300 batting average.
What actually happened: He had a .260 batting average.
Milwaukee Brewers: What I said: Ryan Braun would have a batting average of under .210.
What actually happened: He had a batting average of .305.
NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks: What I said: They would win 90 games and NL West.
What actually happened: Injuries kept them back from being a good team. They only won 69 games, and the LA Dodgers won the NL West.
San Francisco Giants: What I said: Madison Bumgarner would strike out 230 batters.
What actually happened: Spot on, he had 251 strikeouts.
Los Angeles Dodgers: What I said: Corey Seager would have the highest batting average on the team.
What actually happened: He had a .307 batting average in 157 games. The other position player ahead of him is Andrew Toles who had a .314 average in 48 games.
San Diego Padres: What I said: James Shields would have an ERA of 2.10.
What actually happened: He had a 4.28 ERA.
Colorado Rockies: What I said: Nolan Arenado would lead the NL in home-runs with 48.
What actually happened: He was tied for 1st in the NL with Chris Carter of Milwaukee with 41 home-runs.
