It’s April, which means Major League Baseball is in full swing.
Man, that felt good to type.
Opening day was just this Monday and we’ve already seen one pitcher blast two home runs, a different pitcher spike a ball about 20 feet from the mound and, oh yeah, an enraged New York Mets fan unleash an epic tirade after he was late to his team’s first game due to public transportation problems. (Don’t worry. He eventually made it and received free tickets.)
Since we’re less than a week into a 162-game season, why not predict a few outcomes seven months too early?
In an attempt to not write 12,000 words, I’ll keep it to World Series, MVP and Cy Young winners. (I promise.)
World Series: Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals
Houston, we have liftoff.
Sure, the Astros finished third in the American League West and didn’t make the playoffs last season. But there’s so much to love about this squad that went 84-78 in 2016.
You can start with two of the best middle infielders in the game in shortstop Carlos Correa and second baseman Jose Altuve. My only concern is the starting rotation, which will need to be anchored by a bounce-back year from 2015 Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel.
Also, there’s a reason I didn’t pick a rematch of last year’s Fall Classic between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, clearly the two best teams in baseball.
There hasn’t been a World Series rematch since 1978, when the Yankees won back-to-back titles over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It’s just not happening.
MVP: Jose Altuve and A.J. Pollock
In the AL, I’m going with the aforementioned Jose Altuve.
The 5-foot-5 second baseman should’ve won the MVP last year and would’ve if it weren’t for Boston’s Mookie Betts and the Angels' Mike Trout.
All Altuve did was lead the majors in hits (216), lead his league in hitting (.338) and blast 24 homers while swiping 30 bases. What else does a guy have to do?
You may not even know Arizona Diamondbacks’ A.J. Pollock, which is why he’s a super deep sleeper pick here to win the National League MVP.
But for a guy that hit .315 along with 20 homers and 39 stolen bases in 2015 before missing nearly the entire season last year with a fractured elbow he suffered at the end of spring training, it makes some sense. Why not?
Cy Young: Chris Sale and Noah Syndergaard
These are the two filthiest starting pitchers in the game right now. Hands down.
Sale, who was traded from the Chicago White Sox to Boston in December, is one year removed from a 17-10 season in which he posted a 3.34 ERA and struck out 233 hitters over 226.2 innings.
He’s a lanky, herky-jerky left-hander that has finished in the top five of AL Cy Young voting each of the past four years, and I say 2017 is his year.
In the NL, the New York Mets’ Noah Syndergaard is my pick.
Known as “Thor” for his locks of blonde hair, Syndergaard owns the fastest fastball among all starting pitchers per MLB’s Statcast. The result last year was a 14-9 record with a 2.60 ERA.
There might be infinite arms in the NL you could argue here, including Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner, but Syndergaard has the stuff to put it all together and win it this year.
Patrick Pinak is the online sports editor. His column appears on Thursdays. Contact him at ppinak@alligator.org, and follow him on Twitter @pinakk12.
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve flips his bat after striking out in the third inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Wednesday, April 5, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)
