MLB 2023 Predictions: Division winners, awards, World Series, more
Opening Day of the 2023 MLB season is practically here and not a moment too soon.
After the incredible action we saw during the World Baseball Classic, getting to see the best players in the sport face off against each other for the next six months feels like digging into the main course after the best appetizers you. could imagine.
We’ve already looked at which prospects are on the rise this year, which teams are going to hit their win total projects and which fantasy players you should absolutely stay away from.
Now it’s time to answer the more obvious questions. Namely, who’s winning what this year.
From player award to the World Series, the FTW crew has some thoughts.
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Blake Schuster: New York Mets (+170)
The Braves NL East title run has been incredible. I think this is the year the Mets finally catch them but you won’t find a division that’s more of a toss up this year than this one.
Mary Clarke: Philadelphia Phillies (+300)
I’m here to impose my Philadelphia Phillies World Series agenda and I’m not sorry about it. The Phillies are going to be one fun team to watch this season and as long as they’re taking balls yard, they’re gonna be hard to beat.
Prince Grimes: Atlanta Braves (+110)
I really want to agree with Mary and take the Phillies, but the Rhys Hoskins injury on top of Bryce Harper’s continued rehab robs them of a lot of power early in the year, which may allow the Braves and Mets to gain some separation.
NL Central
Blake: St. Louis Cardinals (-125)
I’m going to look like a fool when the Brewers win the Central by five games but I really love the collection of talent in St. Louis. They’re on the verge of being (dare I say it?) a very likable ballclub.
Mary: Milwaukee Brewers (+160)
As long as things don’t fully fall apart for the Brewers, they can hang with the Cardinals at the top of the NL Central and then some. It’s a risky gamble, sure, but I like the pitching combo of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff a lot, which may be one of the best in baseball.
Prince: St. Louis Cardinals (-125)
The Cardinals are the most complete team in the Central. I just don’t see many holes.
NL West
Blake: Los Angeles Dodgers (-120)
A boring pick, I know, but who cares? They are the model for regular season success for a reason.
Mary: Los Angeles Dodgers (-120)
It’s the Dodgers — finishing in first place in the regular season is in their blood. As is incredible playoff implosions!
Prince: San Diego Padres (+115)
The Dodgers, while still good, won’t be as good as they have been in recent years. I think they take a big enough step back for the Padres to make this a contest to the very end. Give me the plus odds.
AL East
Blake: Tampa Bay Rays (+350)
The Yankees should win, but I can’t turn down the Rays at that price when they are in the race til the end almost every year.
Mary: New York Yankees (+115)
Though it’s unlikely we’re gonna see another record-breaking performance out of Aaron Judge this year, Yankees only got better this offseason. Unless New York completely fumbles the bag, the AL East is theirs for the taking.
Prince: New York Yankees (+115)
That is great value for Tampa, who could finish ahead of Toronto if things break right. But none of these teams are better than the Yankees, who I’ll gladly take plus odds on.
AL Central
Blake: Cleveland Guardians (+125)
The AL Central is as wide open as the NL East, but for vastly different reasons. None of these teams are great per se, but the top three teams have enough talent to get to October. Cleveland, for my money, has the highest floor of the bunch.
Mary: Chicago White Sox (+250)
There’s no reason to believe the White Sox will slump as hard as they did last year, especially with new manager Pedro Grifol at the helm. There may be some growing pains, but the White Sox have the talent to emerge victorious in the AL Central.
Prince: Chicago White Sox (+250)
Blake is right, the Guardians probably have the highest floor. But for +250 odds, I’ll roll with his White Sox, who might have the highest ceiling. This is the year they finally realize some of that potential.
AL West
Blake: Houston Astros (-190)
The Astros should run away with the division once again, but man, it’d be really cool if some other team gave them a fight. Looking at you, Los Angeles.
Mary: Houston Astros (-190)
The reigning World Series champions are the clear-cut favorites to win their division and go deep in the playoffs once again. No sense in betting against that!
Prince: Houston Astros (-190)
What everyone else said. The Astros are still really good.
National League
Blake: New York Mets (+450)
I’m trying not to overthink this one. They have one of the best rosters on paper and their only true weakness is a sudden lack of a shutdown closer — and one typically becomes available every trade deadline.
Mary: Philadelphia Phillies (+750)
I know I’m picking from the heart here, but after what the Phillies did last year in the playoffs and the magical run they went on, I’m all in on this team making another deep playoff run.
Prince: Philadelphia Phillies (+750)
This is not a pick from the heart. In fact, this goes completely against my heart. But I like the Phillies too! Adding Trea Turner to last season’s pennant-winning lineup was such a great move.
American League
Blake: Houston Astros (+300)
I hate going chalk but I don’t know which team in the American League is better suited for a World Series run than the defending champs who seemingly got better this offseason. They just need Jose Altuve to get healthy ASAP.
Mary: Houston Astros (+300)
Give me a full, seven-game series rematch of last year’s World Series. But seriously, no one in the American League looks as strong as the Astros do, especially after their additions in the offseason.
Prince: Los Angeles Angels (+2000)
OK, so I realize this may look like an unserious pick. And I know I just crushed the Angels for how they’ve mismanaged the team around Mike Trout. But they’ve also had bad injury luck, and that’s got to swing in their favor at some point. I honestly have no clue who wins the AL, so why not toss money at the long odds of a Wild Card sleeper?
Blake: Houston Astros (+600)
More chalk. Ugh. I just don’t know how any club catches this team. Houston has reached the World Series four times in the last six seasons and the other two times it lost in the ALCS. Lengthy runs through October are the expectation here and it’s hard to see the Astros doing anything but once again.
Mary: Philadelphia Phillies (+1600)
Considering how terrible of a run Philadelphia sports has had recently in championship games, we need this. Sorry Astros.
Prince: Philadelphia Phillies (+1600)
It was at this point I realized I had to pick between the Phillies and Angels. And yeah, even I’m not bold enough to pick the Angels to win a title.
NL MVP
Blake: Trea Turner (+1000)
On a Phillies roster full of All-Stars, Turner might be the most exciting after his triumphant run through the WBC. A 30-30 season feels more than achievable. Combined with his skills at shortstop, he’ll be in the race all year as long as he’s healthy.
Mary: Mookie Betts (+900)
Mookie Betts got some late attention last season in the NL MVP race, but ultimately lost out to Paul Goldschmidt. This year, I think Betts gets back on the horse with a strong season for the Dodgers to win his second-career MVP award.
Prince: Trea Turner (+1000)
I hate to copy Blake here, but Turner’s been flirting with MVP for a few seasons now. This feels like the year he can finally be the top dog, and his stolen base numbers could hit career-best levels with the bigger bases.
AL MVP
Blake: Shohei Ohtani (+200)
I’m not betting against the best baseball player in the world. He deserved to win it last year, too, but we don’t need to get into that. Even more ridiculous: Trout and Ohtani are +115 vs. The Field (-110) to win MVP this year.
Mary: Shohei Ohtani (+200)
Blake’s right, you don’t bet against the world’s best baseball player, lest you regret it. Coming off a thrilling World Baseball Classic victory, Ohtani’s stock has never been higher.
Prince: Shohei Ohtani (+200)
I won’t go so far as the say Ohtani should have won last year, but it took 62 home runs to keep him from winning it and that’s not happening again.
NL Cy Young
Blake: Max Scherzer (+800)
The way he’s been messing with the pitch clock makes me think we could see an all-time season from Mad Max.
Mary: Corbin Burnes (+500)
As the Cy Young winner from 2021, Burnes has the pedigree to land the award once more as long as he bounces back to form from a down season last year.
Prince: Aaron Nola (+1200)
All of these Phillies picks are making me feel dirty, but these are good odds for a high-strikeout pitcher with plenty of run support.
AL Cy Young
Blake: Shane McClanahan (+1200)
He was so close last year before an August injury knocked him out of the running.
Mary: Jacob deGrom (+600)
If healthy, deGrom is the clear frontrunner for the AL Cy Young. Of course, he’ll have to stay off injured reserve for this pick to come true, but I’m placing my bets on him evading the injury bug with his new team.
Prince: Christian Javier (+1800)
Javier was excellent last season, matching teammate Framber Valdez’s strikeout numbers in 53 fewer innings. His arm should be able to handle a little more this season.
NL Rookie of the Year
Blake: Elly De La Cruz (+1500)
He should get called up this season. I’m just hoping it’s early enough that he can put himself in the ROY race. If so, the 6-foot-5 shortstop in Cincinnati could make a big name for himself.
Mary: Jordan Walker (+400)
Jordan Walker had a blistering spring training this year and was rewarded with a spot on the Cardinals’ Opening Day lineup. We’ll have to see if he can continue to perform when the games truly matter, but so far, I like his odds.
Prince: Jordan Walker (+400)
Not only did Walker have a great spring, he raked in the minors last year, hitting .306 with 19 home runs and 22 stolen bases.
AL Rookie of the Year
Blake: Oscar Colas (+1500)
Last year with I went with the favorite in Bobby Witt Jr. and that definitely didn’t happen. So I’m going to avoid the big names and grab Colas, the new everyday right fielder in Chicago who slashed .270/.281/.725 with three home runs this spring.
Mary: Masataka Yoshida (+600)
Yes, Yoshida may be 29 years old, but he qualifies as a rookie by MLB standards. After Yoshida’s strong showing at the World Baseball Classic, many have their eyes on him, and for good reason.
Prince: Royce Lewis (+1400)
The first overall pick of the 2017 draft, Lewis was solid in limited action last season. He’s poised to do big things in that Twins lineup.
Who’s your darkhorse to make the playoffs?
Blake: Los Angeles Angles (+150)
Please, Baseball Gods. We need this. Ohtani needs this. Trout definitely needs this.
Mary: Texas Rangers (+200)
Yes, the Rangers were dismal last year. However, they’ve made some real solid improvements to their pitching staff and will likely be in the playoff race because of it.
Prince: Texas Rangers (+200)
I already showed the Angels enough love, so I’ll roll with the Rangers. Their starting rotation is very solid.
Who will lead MLB in home runs?
Blake: Yordan Alvarez (+1100)
He hit 37 last year and should be entering his prime in the middle of stacked Houston lineup.
Mary: Aaron Judge (+550)
Judge isn’t likely going to break another home run record this year, but there’s no sign he’s set to slow down on the dingers anytime soon.
Prince: Pete Alonso (+900)
He led the league in 2019 and finished second to Aaron Judge last season. Alonso is a good pick every year.
Which manager has the hottest seat?
Blake: Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins
The Giants really want to avoid a total rebuild, so part of me thinks Gabe Kapler has the most to prove this year, but I’m going with Baldelli because of the expectations in the Twin Cities this year. He’s 0-5 in in the playoffs with Minnesota and led the club to a fifth- and third-place finish after winning the AL Central in 2019 and 2020. The Twins could shake things up if they have to.
Mary: Derek Shelton, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are such a tragic club right now, and I don’t see things getting any better. Shelton isn’t completely to blame for the Pirates woes, but he’s definitely in line to be fired if things continue as they are in Pittsburgh.
Prince: Gabe Kapler, San Francisco Giants
I’ll roll with Kapler. Whether or not the Giants are actually good enough to win more than they have doesn’t matter. They expect to win, and they’ve been just a .500 club in two of Kapler’s three years in the Bay. He needs a playoff appearance.
