It’s been almost three months since I last updated you all on the happenings of Major League Baseball (MLB), and as predicted, nothing has gone the way I predicted it would. Let’s start with my World Series picks: White Sox and Mets. Oops. As I write this, neither team has a winning record. Who expected that? The National League, known for its dominant pitching and for Clayton Kershaw, currently has no clear favorite for the Cy Young Award (awarded to the best pitchers in MLB). Who expected that? The Royals, defending World Series champions, have a losing record. Who expected that? Seemingly the only constant of predictability is that it is yet again an even year, though the San Francisco Giants again appear poised to make another postseason run.
Who expected any of this?
Going into the season, there seemed to be a clearly defined picture of the pretenders and contenders. When perusing certain sports sites, one could find titles like “Expect Less Parity in Baseball this Year,” or “(Insert Team Name Here) Poised to Dominate the League.” There were the top five teams, and there was everyone else. Again, oops. Instead, we got more unpredictability and a surprising run at contention from the Colorado Rockies, as well as a lesson in the perils of trusting media sports “experts.”
The Miami Marlins went from a 71–91 season last year to the second Wild Card spot. The Dodgers lost Clayton Kershaw, the only player keeping them in contention, but then proceeded to play better. Daniel Murphy, a career .280 hitter, is the frontrunner for National League MVP. The Yankees were sellers at the trade deadline. That’s right. The most stubbornly successful franchise in baseball is committed to rebuilding. Two All-Star pitchers from last year came close to losing their rotation spots, and another actually did. Chris Sale of the White Sox was suspended for cutting up all of his team’s uniforms before a start in a bizarre form of protest when he didn’t want to wear a throwback jersey. There are five teams within five games of a playoff spot in both the American and National Leagues. And let’s not forget the Cleveland Indians’ 14-game winning streak that started immediately after the Cavaliers won the NBA championship. There was a seven-hit game, a 30-inning scoreless streak, and a knuckleballer in the All-Star Game. And Bartolo Colon hit a home run. What a wild ride.
Still, contenders have emerged amidst this beautiful chaotic mess. The Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and the Indians come to mind. All of these teams made moves at the trade deadline to boost their odds at a World Series run, and the Rangers came away with the “grand prize” in former Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy. However, it’s still too early to definitively call a winner; no team stands out from the rest. They all have their strengths and weaknesses, their cold and hot streaks, and their records are nearly identical. Besides, in a season like this, trying to make any more predictions would be a self-defeating proposition. I will leave you with this, though: if you dare make a prediction, go with the team you least expect to win it all. That prediction is probably the most likely to come true.