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The 2023 predictions thread

Writers and readers predict how the MLB season will play out!

On the eve of Opening Day, it’s time for us to measure our powers of prognostication! Last week we asked fans to chime in on their predictions for the season. We had over 400 responses, with predictions on how the Royals will fare this year, who will make the playoffs, who will win major awards, and who will win the whole thing!

Here are the results, plus the picks by our current and former writers. You can see how wrong we were last year. Let’s start with Royals predictions!

2023 Royals predictions

Predictions Best Royals position player Best Royals pitcher Royals' record
Predictions Best Royals position player Best Royals pitcher Royals' record
Alex Duvall Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 77-85
Preston Farr Vinnie Pasquantino Daniel Lynch 78-84
Jeremy Greco Vinnie Pasquantino Kris Bubic 74-88
Brian Henry Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 78-84
Cullen Jekel Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 71-91
Josh Keiser Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 79-83
Matthew LaMar Vinnie Pasquantino Brady Singer 75-87
Bradford Lee Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 79-83
Jacob Milham Bobby Witt Jr. Zack Greinke 67-95
Shaun Newkirk Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 72-90
Max Rieper Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 72-90
Greg Walker Bobby Witt Jr. Brady Singer 70-92

Reader vote

Royals wins:

More than 90: 2.0%

85-89: 2.9%

80-84: 20.1%

75-79: 31.0%

70-74: 33.3%

Less than 70: 10.6%

Royals position player WAR leader: Bobby Witt Jr. 45.3%; Vinnie Pasquantino 30.2%; Salvador Perez 10.4%; MJ Melendez 3.6%

Royals pitcher WAR leader: Brady Singer 74.5%; Zack Greinke 9.9%; Brad Keller 3.8%; Scott Barlow 3.6%

Last year over 60 percent of readers predicted the Royals to win at least 80 games. That’s down to less than 25 percent this year. The consensus seems to be that Witt and Singer will be the bright stars on this team.

American League predictions

Predictions AL East AL Central AL West AL Wildcard AL Wildcard AL Wildcard
Predictions AL East AL Central AL West AL Wildcard AL Wildcard AL Wildcard
Alex Duvall Blue Jays Guardians Astros Yankees Rays Angels
Preston Farr Yankees White Sox Mariners Angels Astros Blue Jays
Jeremy Greco Yankees Guardians Astros Mariners Rays Twins
Brian Henry Blue Jays Guardians Astros Yankees Mariners Orioles
Cullen Jekel Blue Jays Twins Astros Yankees Angels Mariners
Josh Keiser Blue Jays Guardians Astros Yankees Mariners Rangers
Matthew LaMar Yankees Twins Astros Rays Mariners Angels
Bradford Lee Yankees Guardians Astros Rays Twins Mariners
Jacob Milham Blue Jays White Sox Astros Yankees Angels Mariners
Shaun Newkirk Yankees Twins Astros Rays Blue Jays Guardians
Max Rieper Blue Jays Twins Astros Yankees Mariners Rays
Greg Walker Blue Jays Guardians Astros Mariners Yankees Rays

Reader vote

AL East: Yankees 55.9%; Blue Jays 27.3%; Rays 10.3%; Orioles 4.0%; Red Sox 2.6%

AL Central: Guardians 52.4%; Twins 21.4%; White Sox 20.5%; Royals 5.4%; Tigers 0.2%

AL West: Astros 76.4%; Mariners 12.0%; Angels 8.8%; Rangers 2.1%; Athletics 0.7%

AL Wild Cards: Mariners 42.3%; Rays 40.8%; Blue Jays 39%; Yankees 34.9%; Angels 22.3%; Orioles 19.6%; Twins 17.6%; Astros 17.6%; Guardians 16.4%; Red Sox 14.9%; White Sox 13.3%; Rangers 11%; Royals 7.9%

Fans are predicting all three division winners to repeat! What about the National League?

National League predictions

Predictions NL East NL Central NL West NL Wildcard NL Wildcard NL Wildcard
Predictions NL East NL Central NL West NL Wildcard NL Wildcard NL Wildcard
Alex Duvall Mets Cardinals Padres Braves Phillies Dodgers
Preston Farr Mets Cardinals Dodgers Padres Braves Mets
Jeremy Greco Braves Cardinals Dodgers Padres Cubs Phillies
Brian Henry Braves Cardinals Padres Dodgers Mets Phillies
Cullen Jekel Braves Cardinals Padres Mets Phillies Dodgers
Josh Keiser Phillies Cardinals Padres Braves Mets Dodgers
Matthew LaMar Mets Brewers Dodgers Braves Padres Giants
Bradford Lee Phillies Cardinals Dodgers Braves Padres Giants
Jacob Milham Braves Cardinals Padres Dodgers Mets Cubs
Shaun Newkirk Braves Cardinals Padres Brewers Dodgers Mets
Max Rieper Braves Cardinals Padres Dodgers Mets Phillies
Greg Walker Braves Brewers Padres Mets Cardinals Dodgers

Reader vote

NL East: Braves 47.9%; Mets 34.3%; Phillies 16.8%; Nationals 0.7%; Marlins 0.0%

NL Central: Cardinals 78.3%; Brewers 16.1%; Cubs 3.7%; Reds 1.4%; Pirates 0.5%

NL West: Dodgers 54.8%; Padres 42.6%; Giants 1.8%; Diamondbacks 0.5%; Rockies 0.0%

NL Wild Cards: Phillies 50.2%; Mets 47.5%; Padres 44.6%; Braves 41.4%; Dodgers 41.2%; Giants 22.7%; Brewers 19.6%; Cardinals 10.8%; Cubs 5.9%

Again, fans are predicting a repeat of division winners and even Wild Card teams! How about award season?

Award predictions

Predictions AL MVP NL MVP AL Cy Young NL Cy Young AL Rookie of the Year NL Rookie of the Year
Predictions AL MVP NL MVP AL Cy Young NL Cy Young AL Rookie of the Year NL Rookie of the Year
Alex Duvall Shohei Ohtani, LAA Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL Jacob deGrom, TEX Aaron Nola, PHI Gunnar Henderson, BAL Corbin Carroll, ARI
Preston Farr Mike Trout, LAA Mookie Betts, LAD Shane McClanahan, TBR Corbin Burnes, MIL Royce Lewis, MIN Corbin Carroll, ARI
Jeremy Greco Shohei Ohtani, LAA Bryce Harper, PHI Alek Manoah, TOR Justin Verlander, NYM Anthony Volpe, NYY Jordan Walker, STL
Brian Henry Shohei Ohtani, LAA Trea Turner, PHI Shohei Ohtani, LAA Sandy Alcantara, MIA Gunnar Henderson, BAL Kodai Senga, NYM
Cullen Jekel Shohei Ohtani, LAA Austin Riley, ATL Alek Manoah, TOR Corbin Burnes, MIL Masataka Yoshida, BOS Jordan Walker, STL
Josh Keiser Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., TOR Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL Shane McClanahan, TBR Corbin Burnes, MIL Masataka Yoshida, BOS Corbin Carroll, ARI
Matthew LaMar Shohei Ohtani, LAA Trea Turner, PHI Dylan Cease, CHW Corbin Burnes, MIL Masataka Yoshida, BOS Kodai Senga, NYM
Bradford Lee Shohei Ohtani, LAA Trea Turner, PHI Dylan Cease, CHW Sandy Alcantara, MIA Gunnar Henderson, BAL Corbin Carroll, ARI
Jacob Milham Shohei Ohtani, LAA Mookie Betts, LAD Alek Manoah, TOR Corbin Burnes, MIL Gunnar Henderson, BAL Kodai Senga, NYM
Shaun Newkirk Aaron Judge, NYY Juan Soto, SDP Shane McClanahan, TBR Corbin Burnes, MIL Masataka Yoshida, BOS Corbin Carroll, ARI
Max Rieper Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., TOR Juan Soto, SDP Alek Manoah, TOR Spencer Strider, ATL Oscar Colas, CHW Jordan Walker, STL
Greg Walker Shohei Ohtani, LAA Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL Shane McClanahan, TBR Corbin Burnes, MIL Gunnar Henderson, BAL Kodai Senga, NYM

Reader vote

AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, LAA 55.1%; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR 8.5%; Aaron Judge, NYY 7.5%; Julio Rodriguez, SEA 4.6%; Bobby Witt Jr., KCR 4.1%; Yordan Alvarez, HOU 3.4%

NL MVP: Juan Soto, SDP 19.3%; Trea Turner, PHI 19.3%; Ronald Acuña, Jr., ATL 12.6%; Manny Machado, SDP 8.9%; Nolan Areando, STL 7.6%; Fernando Tatis Jr., SDP 5.3%; Freddie Freeman, LAD 5.0%; Mookie Betts, LAD 5.0%; Austin Riley, ATL 3.7%; Paul Goldschmidt, STL 3.2%

AL Cy Young: Shohei Ohtani, LAA 28.9%; Jacob deGrom, TEX 11.2%; Brady Singer, KCR 10.5%; Dylan Cease, CHW 7.3%; Framber Valdez, HOU 6.6%; Shane McClanahan, TBR 6.4%; Alek Manoah, TOR 6.4%; Luis Castillo, SEA 4.3%; Tyler Glasnow, TBR 3.0%

NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer, NYM 18.0%; Sandy Alcantara, MIA 13.2%; Corbin Burnes, MIL 13.0%; Justin Verlander, NYM 11.6%; Max Fried, ATL 8.4%; Julio Urias, LAD 8.4%; Spencer Strider, ATL 7.7%; Aaron Nola, PHI 6.4%; Blake Snell, SDP 5.9%; Brandon Woodruff, MIL 3.4%

AL Rookie of the Year: Gunnar Henderson, BAL 27.0%; Masataka Yoshida, BOS 17.5%; Anthony Volpe, NYY 14.1%; Bo Naylor, CLE 8.8%; Royce Lewis, MIN 8.5%; Grayson Rodriguez, BAL 6.7%; Josh Jung, TEX 5.5%; Triston Casas, BOS 4.1%

NL Rookie of the Year: Jordan Walker, STL 27.9%; Corbin Carroll, ARI 22.6%; Kodai Senga, NYM 10.8%; Francisco Alvarez, NYM 8.8%; Miguel Vargas, LAD 7.8%; Andrew Painter, PHI 6.7%; Ezequiel Tovar, COL 4.8%; Brett Baty, NYM 3.7%

All right, who’s going to win the whole shebang?

World Series prediction

Predictions World Series
Predictions World Series
Alex Duvall Phillies over Blue Jays
Preston Farr Cardinals over Blue Jays
Jeremy Greco Padres over Yankees
Brian Henry Braves over Blue Jays
Cullen Jekel Cardinals over Blue Jays
Josh Keiser Padres over Yankees
Matthew LaMar Yankees over Mets
Bradford Lee Astros over Phillies
Jacob Milham Braves over Yankees
Shaun Newkirk Padres over Yankees
Max Rieper Cardinals over Blue Jays
Greg Walker Padres over Mariners

Reader vote

American League pennant: Astros 32.7%; Yankees 26.4%; Blue Jays 11.9%; Mariners 8.3%; Royals 4.7%

National League pennant: Padres 28.6%; Dodgers 24.3%; Braves 15.4%; Mets 15.4%; Cardinals 7.0%; Phillies 5.4%

World Series champion: Padres 18.4%; Astros 14.5%; Dodgers 14.1%; Yankees 9.5%; Braves 8.2%; Mets 7.5%; Blue Jays 4.8%; Cardinals 4.3%; Phillies 3.4%; Mariners 3.0%

Any other predictions for this season?