Bold Predictions: Foul Territory Staff Gazes Into MLB Future
Everybody’s doing it, so the staff at Foul Territory is gonna give it a whirl, too: Attempt to guess wildly at what might actually happen this season.
Instead of the traditional prognostications of who will win the year-end hardware and what teams make it to the postseason, we’ve asked our staff for bold predictions on the following:
- biggest surprise of 2019
- biggest disappointment of 2019
- crazy, off-the-wall prediction
- World Series matchup
Without further ado, here’s what might actually happen (but probably won’t) in 2019 …
Biggest Surprise of 2019
John Graham: As a San Francisco fan, my predictions are all about the Giants. Here we go … Giants make the playoffs, no one gets any “weird” injuries and Pablo “The Panda” Sandoval (and team mascot) is there all season.
Paul West: The Twins stay in the hunt the entire season.
J.W. Steinberg: Jurickson Profar finally realizes his promise and wins the AL batting title.
Michael Carter: Yasiel Puig develops into the five-tool superstar he has teased before. With no one to stand in the way taking at-bats from him, and if he stays healthy, he could hit 35 home runs and steal 25 bases. At least my fantasy team hopes so.
Jackie Micucci: The Mets make the playoffs as the first wild card, thanks to their stellar pitching and a rejuvenated Robinson Canó.
Mike Viso: Yasiel Puig wins NL MVP, and Gary Sanchez wins AL MVP.
John LaLoggia: Walker Buehler wins the NL Cy Young award.
Jed Rigney: The Rays will make the playoffs. Despite having to match up against the Red Sox and Yankees, they will get their 95(ish) wins and be the scariest team in the playoffs.
Randall Stevens: Aaron Judge wins the MVP. Yes, over Trout. Yes, over Mookie. He’s going to hit 50 home runs and have an OBP over .400.
Tom Vinson: I’d be surprised to see the Dodgers in the playoffs this year. Primarily because the Padres actually seem like legit contenders that could steamroll the entire NL West. Okay, maybe “steamroll” is a little extreme.
Jon Sumple: The kids show their stuff in 2019. Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, Eloy Jimenez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. deliver MVP-consideration production, each hitting 25+ HRs.
Brandon C. Williams: Yasiel Puig has a career year, becomes a strong NL MVP candidate while helping the Reds stay in the wild card chase into September.
Biggest Disappointment of 2019
John Graham: Giants don’t make the playoffs, we sustain another year of weird injuries and Sandoval is gone by midseason.
Paul West: The Cubs miss the playoffs!
J.W. Steinberg: Bryce Harper goes 0-for-the-last-week-of-the-season and the Philadelphia Phillies miss the Wild Card by one game.
Michael Carter: The Chicago Cubs starting rotation. Many fans think they have a great one, and maybe they will. But Jon Lester and Cole Hamels are a year older and learning how to pitch with less stuff as they age. This can be a problem in a division that flat-out hits. Add in questionable contributions from Jose Quintana and Yu Darvish, and this could be a colossal disappointment. Kyle Hendricks might end up being their ace.
Jackie Micucci: ROY Shohei Ohtani. The double threat solidifies his place as a single threat and spends way more time in the batter’s box than on the pitcher’s mound, settling into a serviceable full-time DH role for the vast majority of the season.
Mike Viso: Shohei Ohtani plays less than 70 games, and we see less than five bench clearing brawls.
John LaLoggia: The Washington Nationals will not make the postseason … again.
Jed Rigney: The Cardinals will not make the playoffs. The NL Central is just too deep, and one of these teams has to fall on their face. I say it’s the one with all the questions in their starting rotation.
Randall Stevens: The Braves miss the playoffs and regret their stagnant offseason.
Tom Vinson: It’ll be the Mets, again. They’re poised to win the NL East, right? Or is it the Nats? Either way, we’ll see the Metropolitans struggle for a couple of weeks, then go on a thirty-eight game winning streak, then struggle again, before ultimately holding steady at fourth place above the Marlins.
Jon Sumple: If the Rays make the playoffs, and no one’s there to witness it, did it really happen? Despite staying in the hunt all season long in the brutal AL East—and earning a wild card spot!—the Rays draw less than 1 million fans for the first time in team history.
Brandon C. Williams: Clayton Kershaw’s injuries continue to pile up, forcing the Dodgers into a tight NL West race that will also include a surprising Padres squad.
Crazy, Off-the-Wall Predictions
John Graham: Skipper Bruce Bochy brings the team to the World Series for the fourth time! (Even a playoff berth means a great sentimental finish for Bochy). As an aside, Justin Verlander wins the Cy Young in the AL and Madison Bumgarner gets the NL hardware.
Paul West: The Mets get 93 wins.
J.W. Steinberg: San Diego Padres win the NL West and then lose to Washington Nationals in Game 7 of the NLCS.
Michael Carter: Despite all the “crazy” money spent, the Philadelphia Phillies fail to make the playoffs due to pitching woes. They will slug with anyone, but the starting pitching behind Aaron Nola doesn’t strike fear into anyone. That being said, if they add Dallas Keuchel and make a trade for someone like Corey Kluber, than this one is way off!
Jackie Micucci: Sonny Gray wins the NL Cy Young Award just to annoy the ever living you-know-what out of Yankees fans, like myself.
Mike Viso: Charlie Blackmon shaves his beard, and the NL West Winner has less than 90 wins.
John LaLoggia: The Cincinnati Reds make the playoffs (NL Wild Card).
Jed Rigney: Jackie Bradley Jr. will be an All-Star. Is that really so crazy? Probably not. But it’s a little crazy, and we’re never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy.
Randall Stevens: The Cleveland Indians will not make the playoffs. Too many injuries, not enough offense and not enough depth.
Tom Vinson: The White Sox aren’t going to do much of anything this year, but one thing they will do is win every game against their crosstown rivals. Sure, the Cubs look to be unstoppable in the NL Central, but who cares? The Sox have Eloy Jimenez now! Whom, by the way, will hit for the cycle come June.
Jon Sumple: Twins sweep the Red Sox in Boston in the final series of the regular season to snatch a wild card berth from the Red Sox, who fail to make the playoffs and defend their World Series title. Bullpens matter.
Brandon C. Williams: Billy Hamilton has an OBP above .350 and flirts with becoming the first player to steal 100 bases since Vince Coleman in 1987.
World Series Matchup
John Graham: Giants vs. A’s (And there’s a small tremor just as the game starts!)
Paul West: Cardinals vs. Red Sox
J.W. Steinberg: Boston Red Sox defeat the Washington Nationals.
Michael Carter: New York Yankees vs. Washington Nationals
Jackie Micucci: Yankees vs. Phillies (10th-year anniversary rematch)
Mike Viso: Yankees defeat the Cubs.
John LaLoggia: Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago Cubs
Jed Rigney: Dodgers win the World Series. Third time’s the charm.
Randall Stevens: Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals
Tom Vinson: Who do I want to win? Cleveland in a tense, seven-game match up with the Mets. But that’s not going to happen. Who will win? The Yankees. I can smell it.
Jon Sumple: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Houston Astros
Brandon C. Williams: Astros over Phillies in five.
