Way back in Spring Training, I predicted how the Major League standings would look at the end of the season. Now that the postseason is over, I have time to look back at my predictions and see which ones I got right, and which ones make me look like a fool.
National League
NL West
| Predictions | Standings | |
| 1 | Dodgers | Dodgers |
| 2 | Rockies | Diamondbacks |
| 3 | Diamondbacks | Giants |
| 4 | Padres | Rockies |
| 5 | Giants | Padres |
I felt confident about my picks going into the year, but I only got the Dodgers right. The Rockies’ bullpen changes blew up in their faces, while the Diamondbacks were still competitive for a while without Paul Goldschmidt. The Giants were also really good, so good in fact, that they went on a stretch in mid-July that almost put them in the wild card picture. And then the Padres, they were just bad. They had practically no pitching and Fernando Tatis Jr. sustained a season-ending injury.
NL Central
| Predictions | Standings | |
| 1 | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| 2 | Cubs | Brewers |
| 3 | Brewers | Cubs |
| 4 | Reds | Reds |
| 5 | Pirates | Pirates |
The NL Central was close. Until it wasn’t. The Cardinals, Cubs, and Brewers fought to the final week of the season before the Cubs fell out of it. The Cardinals came out on top and the Brewers went to the Wild Card game. The Reds had good pitching and bad hitting, which is the opposite of what everyone expected. And then the Pirates. Their second-half collapse was so bad that their manager, general manager, and president were all fired.
NL East
| Predictions | Standings | |
| 1 | Nationals | Braves |
| 2 | Phillies | Nationals |
| 3 | Braves | Mets |
| 4 | Mets | Phillies |
| 5 | Marlins | Marlins |
At least I got the Marlins right. Other than that, I looked like I don’t even watch baseball. The Nationals started out at 19-31 but went on to win the World Series. The Braves won the division, then got thumped in the playoffs. And then the Phillies. They were BAD. The Mets were also a disaster in their first year under a new GM. Oh yeah, then the Marlins. They were so bad they couldn’t even get the first draft pick.
American League
AL West
| Predictions | Standings | |
| 1 | Astros | Astros |
| 2 | Athletics | Athletics |
| 3 | Angels | Rangers |
| 4 | Mariners | Angels |
| 5 | Rangers | Mariners |
Another round of bad picks. The Astros were a powerhouse again and the A’s did a good job hanging in the fight and proving that they truly are a good team. The Angels and Mariners were both terrible and it looks like they might just always be that way. But the Rangers actually had a good season and built up some forward momentum going into a new ballpark in 2020.
AL Central
| Predictions | Standings | |
| 1 | Indians | Twins |
| 2 | Twins | Indians |
| 3 | White Sox | White Sox |
| 4 | Tigers | Royals |
| 5 | Royals | Tigers |
Who knew that the homer-happy Twins would beat the Indians? Clearly not me. The Indians were hurt most of the year and the Twins didn’t know how to do anything other than win. Out of the bottom three teams, the White Sox were the only team that took a step forward. The Tigers were so bad they couldn’t even win 50 games.
AL East
| Predictions | Standings | |
| 1 | Yankees | Yankees |
| 2 | Red Sox | Rays |
| 3 | Rays | Red Sox |
| 4 | Blue Jays | Blue Jays |
| 5 | Orioles | Orioles |
I’m proud of myself after this pick. The only thing I got wrong was I didn’t realize the Red Sox would be so bad. After winning the World Series in 2018, they collapsed and only won 84 games. All the while, the Yankees just kept winning despite having their entire team on the IL.
