What Can We Expect From The 60-Game MLB Season? 4 Dudes Discuss
After months of uncertainty, baseball players will finally take the field today to kick off the 2020 MLB season. But as you already know, things will be a bit different this year. Teams will play 60 games instead of 162, they will mostly be playing teams within their own divisions, and both leagues will be using a designated hitter. With that in mind, I sat down with 3 of my baseball-loving buddies to make bold predictions about what we except to see this season.
Which teams could benefit from the 60-game season?
Evan Lee: With the shortened season, I think a huge part of it has to do with the schedules that these teams are gonna play. You’re playing 40 games against your own division and 20 games against the same region in the other league. So for me, if I’m looking at it that way, that’s a massive advantage for the Dodgers and the Astros. I’m sorry, but their schedules for the most part are kind of a joke.
Max Hammer: Especially for the Dodgers. But the A’s aren’t that bad and the Angels aren’t going to be as bad as we think. Especially if Anthony Rendon hits and Shohei Ohtani stays healthy. Any other teams?
Jonas Nordman: I’m gonna go with the White Sox. I’m riding the White Sox hype train pretty hard. Lucas Giolito at the top of the rotation is pretty good, and they’ve got Eloy Jimenez, Jose Abreu is almost an underrated superstar at this point, Tim Anderson’s amazing, Yoan Moncada.
Max: They also have Luis Robert, Yasmani Grandal, and Dallas Keuchel.
Jonas: That’s why I’m picking the ChiSox.
Me: It feels like the Twins and the Indians are the trendy picks in the AL Central, but I definitely think that division is up for grabs.
Evan: I also gotta go with the Reds.
Max: Dammit, that’s who I was gonna pick!
Jonas: They have a great pitcher every day.
Evan: If you look at them on paper, they’re pretty stacked.
Max: I think the DH helps them a lot as well.
Me: Not only that, but you also have a lot of the teams in the NL Central who have traditionally been good who are on the decline. The Cubs and the Cardinals feel like they’re slipping.
Max: I’m with you on the reds. You have Mike Moustakas, Nick Castellanos, and obviously Eugenio Suarez can bash. And then you have Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, and Trevor Bauer at the top of their rotation. If they can stay healthy, they’re pretty solid.
Me: Their rotation is REALLY good.
Evan: That’s a scary team any way you slice it.
Me: Well the team I’ve kind of talked myself into, which pains me to say it because I hate them, is the Padres. I just think Fernando Tatis Jr. is the future. If this was a full season, I think they would maybe still struggle, but with 60 games they could catch fire so easily. That heart of the lineup with Manny Machado, Tatis, and Eric Hosmer is pretty solid. They really only need a few streaks to compete.
Max: They also have Tommy Pham and Jurickson Profar. And I think Chris Paddack is ready to lead that rotation. I hope.
Me: That’s the biggest issue. Their rotation is pretty young and teams like the Rockies and D-backs can still hit, so their schedule could hurt them. A lot of people are talking about the NL West sucking, but aside from the Giants, these teams still have some pieces where they could be good.
Jonas: They have pieces where they could be a pain in the ass.
Max: If we’re playing Monopoly, those teams’ pieces are homes and the Dodgers’ pieces are hotels.
Me: Wow.
Max: Make sure that makes it in the article.
Who is one player a team can’t afford to lose?
Jonas: I’ll say Jacob deGrom, because if he goes down you’re left with Steven Matz, Marcus Stroman, and Rick Porcello. And if there’s anyone who could post a 1.1 ERA this season, he’s the guy who could do it.
Me: I gotta go with Christian Yelich.
Evan: Bingo!
Me: The Brewers have been one of the teams to beat in the NL over the past few seasons, but I think they’re gonna fall really hard this year. If he doesn’t have a great year, I don’t know who else they have who could do much for them.
Evan: Since you took Yelich, I’m gonna go with Ronald Acuna Jr. That guy to the Braves now, in my opinion, is more valuable than Mike Trout is to the Angels. That’s just based on who’s around him.
Jonas: I’m also taking Francisco Lindor. He’s more than just maybe the best shortstop in baseball. He’s the spark plug and the energy guy, and if he goes down they’re losing more than just his talent and ability.
Max: Mine has to be Gerrit Cole. James Paxton is definitely going to get hurt, we all know The Big Maple is going down at some point this year. Masahiro Tanaka is pretty fragile and J.A. Happ isn’t the most reliable guy on the mound, so if he gets hurt and the dominoes fall after that, they could be in trouble.
Evan: Their bullpen hasn’t be able to stay healthy either. Aroldis Chapman misses games here and there and Adam Ottavino isn’t young anymore either.
Which teams might be hurt by the shortened season?
Me: Just because we’re already talking about them, I have to pick the Yankees. It’s a pretty obvious pick, but these guys have been the best team on paper for the last couple of seasons, but they’re just never healthy at the same time. They already lost Luis Severino for the season and I don’t know what the fuck is going on with Domingo German and his fake retirement and suspension. Yes, they’re offense can hit a lot of home runs, but that’s assuming Stanton plays more than the 18 games he played last season.
Evan: Yeah, he was on my fantasy team…
Max: Mine too…
Me: And then you also have the Rays who are a trendy pick to challenge the Yankees in the AL East and have a great rotation, so there’s not a ton of room for error for New York.
Jonas: I gotta go with the Cubs. For a team that won the World Series only 4 years ago and then made the NLCS the next year, they’ve struggled lately. They are just too good and too rich to not be more dominant right now. With all of their talent, it’s crazy that they’re not even being considered World Series contenders this year. Not that I’m complaining, I hope they stink.
Max: I was actually going to pick the Cubs as well.
Evan: Me too.
Me: I also think you gotta look at the Braves. They’ve been building a bit of a dynasty in the NL East, but as we mentioned before, if Acuna gets hurt or doesn’t have an MVP season, he doesn’t have a ton of help there.
Jonas: Not having Nick Markakis is huge.
Evan: I think this is gonna be a rough year for the Milwaukee Brewers. They have arguably the best player on the planet in Yelich, but what made them so dynamic was their ability to hit from anywhere in the lineup. But this is a team that lost a lot of firepower when they lost Moustakas, Grandal, Travis Shaw, and even Eric Thames. And I don’t think their rotation is strong enough to compete with the best of the best. Maybe they can get hot here and there, but I think they’re the 4th best team in the NL Central now. Who’s driving in runs other than Yelich?
Me: Also, one of their biggest weapons in the playoffs has been Josh Hader, and how helpful is he if they’re not even leading when he comes in?
Evan: They might just want to start him for 2 or 3 innings every once in a while.
Jonas: They might as well.
Finally, any bold predictions for the season?
Jonas: Well I don’t know how bold this is, but I have Tampa Bay winning the AL East and the pennant this year. I know it’s the Yankees getting the headlines, but the Rays might have the best rotation in baseball with Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. I also think Austin Meadows would be a superstar on any other team.
Me: They’re also used to playing in an empty stadium, so that’s an advantage, too.
Jonas: True. And they won 96 games last season, so it’s not like they’re coming out of nowhere.
Evan: My prediction is that I think this is the year that people realize that Shohei Ohtani is the most valuable player in baseball. He might not win MVP, but if he can stay healthy this year, I think he’ll show a lot of people why he’s special. There’s no player more valuable than him if he can stay healthy, have an ERA in the low 3s, and hit .280-.290 with 15 to 20 home runs. He could be more valuable to that team than Mike Trout if he stays healthy.
Jonas: I think he has the potential to be the Angels’ best pitcher and their third best hitter behind Trout and Rendon.
Me: I also picked Ohtani as one of the things I’m looking forward to this season. We all heard about how he could pitch and hit, but in a 162 game season it’s just unrealistic to do both. But a 60 game season gives him the perfect chance to shine. I’m really excited for the team to just let him do his thing, and if he stays healthy for the full season I’m definitely going to be watching some Angels games.
Jonas: They’ll be entertaining for sure.
Max: My prediction is that the A’s will win the AL West. Their pitching rotation is already good, but then you also have Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien (I just like saying his name), and Khris Davis. I just think they can find a way to sneak past Houston. I know the Astros have a lot of talent, but every team is going to be going after them this season.
Wanna know who we picked to win each division? Probably not, but you’ve already made it this far. Check out the rest of our predictions below:
