Last week I offered up 5 Bold Predictions for the 2015 season. This week I will give you my view on how I see the entire season playing out, division by division. So without further adieu:
AL East
1. Boston Red Sox - Mookie Betts is a stud all season and the Red Sox trade for either Hamels or Cueto at the deadline helping to propel them to the division title.
2. Toronto Blue Jays - The Blue Jays will lead the AL in scoring as Donaldson, Encarnacion, and Bautista all hit over 30 home runs. Drew Hutchison takes a massive step forward and is a top 25 pitcher heading into 2016.
3. New York Yankees - Defense keeps the Yankees competitive and Alex Rodriguez is (gulp) fantasy relevant all season.
4. Baltimore Orioles - The rotation is a disaster taking the O's out of competition despite a bounceback season from Chris Davis.
5. Tampa Bay Rays - Alex Cobb returns at the end of April and is a top-10 fantasy starting pitcher the rest of the way, but the offense struggles as the Rays aren't competitive for the second straight season.
AL Central
1. Cleveland Indians - Jason Kipnis returns to all-star caliber form and Brandon Moss leads the team with 33 home runs. Also, the Indians' starting rotation has the lowest ERA of any team in baseball.
2. Detroit Tigers* - Miggy returns to form but V-Mart can't stay healthy which leads to a drop in offensive production. Also, the Bullpen remains a train-wreck all season.
3. Chicago White Sox - Eaton, Garcia, and Laroche combine with Abreu to give the ChiSox a formidable offense, but the backend of the rotation is a problem causing the South siders to just miss out on the second Wild Card spot.
4. Kansas City Royals - Defense and the bullpen keep the Royals competitive, but the offense struggles mightily, causing them to fall out of competition in September.
5. Minnesota Twins - Phil Hughes has another nice season and Miguel Sano joins the club in early July, providing hope for the future. However, the Twins still end up with the worst record in the American League.
AL West
1. LA Angels - Mike Trout has his best season yet and Albert Pujols returns to a (almost) Pujolsian level of production, as the Angels ride Garrett Richards to a second consecutive division title.
2. Seattle Mariners* - Robinson Cano finds his power stroke hitting 25 home runs and leading the league in batting average. Felix has another "Felix-like" season, and finally gets to pitch in the postseason.
3. Oakland A's - Kendall Graveman stays fantasy relevant all season and the A's find a way to remain competitive into late September before falling just short of the Playoffs.
4. Houston Astros - Dallas Kuechel and Colin McHugh are both Top 40 fantasy starting pitchers. Chris Carter is one of two players in MLB to hit 40+ home runs as the Astros continue their climb towards legitimacy.
5. Texas Rangers - Prince Fielder does not return to his former glory hitting only 22 home runs and the Rangers are besieged by injuries for the second straight season.
NL East
1. Washington Nationals - Michael Taylor is fantasy relevant as both Span and Werth deal with injuries all season. Bryce Harper finally breaks out and hits 33 home runs. The pitching staff is great, as expected, carrying the Nats to the division title.
2. Florida Marlins* - Stanton leads the majors with 44 home runs as both Yelich and Ozuna take another step forward, giving the Marlins the top outfield in fantasy.
3. New York Mets - Noah Syndergaard joins the team in early May and the Mets have one of the best rotations in baseball from that point forward, including CY Young winner Matt Harvey.
4. Atlanta Braves - The offense is among the worst in baseball as the Braves battle the Phillies and Diamondbacks for the worst record in the league. Freddie Freeman ends up as the only fantasy relevant position player on the team. However, Teheran, Wood and Miller keep the team afloat as all three have strong fantasy seasons despite low win totals.
5. Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies end up with 100 losses and take the crown as the worst team in baseball. Cole Hamels gets traded at the deadline for far less than anyone expected as Ruben Amaro signs a lifetime contract to be the general manager until the end of time (Sorry, I'm a bitter Phillies fan).
NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals - Jason Heyward finally reaches his potential and finishes in the top-five of the MVP race. Adam Wainwright stays healthy enough to make 32 starts and Trevor Rosenthal leads the majors in saves.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates* - Pedro Alvarez hit 33 home runs and Starling Marte takes a big step forward in his progression becoming a top 13 fantasy outfielder heading into 2016.
3. Chicago Cubs - Kris Bryant joins the club at the beginning of May and still hits 27 home runs. However, it is Jorge Soler who wins Rookie of the Year. Also, Jake Arrieta stays healthy and ends up with a better fantasy season than Jon Lester.
4. Milwaukee Brewers - Ryan Braun has a classic "Braun" type of season. But the pitching staff struggles as the Brewers continue to wallow away in mediocrity.
5. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds struggle to stay healthy all season. Votto has a decent bounceback season, but Jay Bruce does not, hitting only 21 home runs and batting .225. Johnny Cueto gets traded at the deadline as the Reds begin to look towards the future.
NL West
1. LA Dodgers - Kershaw and Greinke drag the Dodgers to a division title as the rest of the rotation is plagued with injuries. The Dodgers struggle offensively, but lead the league in defensive efficiency. Howie Kendricks is one of the lone offensive bright spots as he contends for the NL batting title.
2. San Diego Padres - Andrew Cashner stays healthy and is the top fantasy pitcher on the team. Matt Kemp battles injuries, but Wil Myers finally lives up to (some of) the hype that has surrounded him, becoming a fantasy steal for those who still believed.
3. San Francisco Giants - The Giants end up as the most boring fantasy team of the season. Bumgarner sees a dip in his production after the innings increase in 2014, but still remains a solid starter. Buster Posey and Hunter Pence end the season as the only relevant fantasy position players on the team.
4. Colorado Rockies - Tulo stays healthy for 140 games leading to his best season in years. Corey Dickerson continues his breakout from 2014 and becomes a top 10 fantasy outfielder heading into 2016. Cargo cannot stay on the field leading to another lost season for the former star. Pitchers continue to remain irrelevant in Colorado with no Rockies' starter finishing in the top 90 starting pitchers in MLB.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks - The Diamondbacks lose 97 games and just miss out to the Phillies for the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Archie Bradley is one of the lone bright spots, as the starter gets called up in June and instantly becomes the team's ace.
World Series
Angels over Pirates