Predictions for MLB Season 2023

Baseball Predictions 2023 and the Return of Real Baseball

By David A. Avila

Welcome back to 1970 baseball in the year 2023.

After years of analytic baseball nearly ruining the sport with extensive and boring games, a number of rules imposed this year will return Major League Baseball back to its roots. Well, sort of.

Next year robot umpires arrive.

Eliminating the defensive shifts will radically change the game immediately. Left-handed power hitters will benefit greatly and more runs will be scored. When the smoke is cleared we may see a frenzy for left-handed pull hitters and more speed.

Baseball always adapts.

Let’s get back to basics. Here are the predictions for season 2023.

NL West

For a decade the Los Angeles Dodgers have ruled the NL West in sometimes dominant fashion. This year the team from Chavez Ravine will be minus some very talented players from last year’s team that won a team record 111 games.

Gone are Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Tyler Anderson, Joey Gallo and several more players from 2022. On any other team that would be devastating. This team, remains deep.

Even with the loss of Gavin Lux to injury the Dodgers remain a solid team especially behind a pitching staff that is minus Walker Buehler, Anderson and Tony Gonsolin. The Dodgers are built on pitching and they have a farm system with three top hurlers ready to break in.

San Diego made monster moves in the off-season picking up shortstop Xander Bogaerts from Boston and last year’s late season addition of closer Josh Hader definitely helped them defeat the Dodgers in the playoffs. Will it be enough to topple the LA team?

Anything can happen such as a key injury to a starting pitcher or frontline player.

1.    Los Angeles Dodgers – The pitching staff is deep in starters and relievers. Offensively, the end of the defensive shift should benefit hitters like Max Muncy and newcomer David Peralta. Offensively they are still very good.

2.    San Diego Padres – They have enough pitching to win a playoff series but over 162 games their pitching is not as deep as the Dodgers. But they have enough to compete and that’s the name of the game. They have a great offense and with Bogaerts added to the team, they have no weaknesses in their lineup.

3.    Arizona Diamondbacks – The team lacked pitching before but now has three top starters on its staff. They also have some good hitters that can cause damage. They do not possess the depth of the California teams, but they are pretty good.

4.    San Francisco Giants – One thing about the Giants is they always manage to find pitching in their farm system. Offensively they are not very good, but they have solid starting pitching led by Logan Webb. He is an ace.

5.    Colorado Rockies – Playing in Colorado is similar to a video game, the numbers are distorted by the altitude. Pitching stats are murdered and hitting averages are misleading in the mile high altitude. Manager Bud Black is one of the better managers in baseball but it’s tough to be a Rockie.  

NL Central

For the past several years only two teams are good enough to battle for a playoff spot and that’s Milwaukee and St. Louis. Will the trend continue?

1.    St. Louis Cardinals – The loss of Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina would hurt any team, but the Cardinals went out immediately and signed free agent Willson Contreras. Not bad. They also have a great defense with Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmitt playing the corners. They also have solid pitching.

2.    Milwaukee Brewers – Every year the Brewers compete behind strong pitching. Will it be enough this year? They do have pretty good hitting and if Christian Yelich ever finds his stroke back they will be strong.

3.    Pittsburgh Pirates – The Pirates always have a strong farm system and they have some good young arms and a very good closer in David Bednar. They also have good young talent on the field like O’Neil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes. Watch out for this team. They could surprise.

4.    Chicago Cubs – The Cubs only have one man remaining from their World Series winning club and that’s pitcher Kyle Hendricks. They picked up Cody Bellinger and Edwin Rios from the Dodgers and both will benefit from the new rule changes regarding defensive shifting. They are pull hitters.

5.    Cincinnati Reds – The Reds have been decimated and their one star is getting very old in Joey Votto. But they always seem to find young talent or trade their veterans for rookie talent. They also have a young ace in Hunter Greene.

NL East

It’s the most competitive division in the National League and anything can happen in a long season. The Mets outspent everyone in baseball but will it be enough?

1.    New York Mets  - The loss of closer Edwin Diaz and ace Jacob DeGrom will hurt but the Mets are very deep in talent. Injuries are the only worry for a team that has old veteran pitchers like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. If they remain healthy then watch out. The Mets can also hit.

2.    Atlanta Braves – It’s a toss-up on who has more talent. The Braves have a lot of pitching and a lot of hitting. One thing they have more than the Mets is a better farm system. They keep bringing up young sparkling talent like last year Michael Harris. It will be a close race again with the Mets. Health is key. The Braves are younger.

3.    Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies went all the way to the World Series, but the playoffs are different from the regular season. Picking up Trea Turner will help the team offensively and defensively, but their pitching still lacks depth. They will be just a shade behind the Braves and Mets in 2023. But they have so much firepower in their lineup. They are every pitcher’s nightmare.

4.    Miami Marlins – The Marlins have three really good young starters led by last year’s Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara. But they have a meager hitting attack and in this division they will not be able to compete. Somehow they have to find hitting.

5.    Washington Nationals – They have young talent but still need time to develop. Their pitching is not bad but its not good. They have a new owner so things could change rapidly.

American League West

The Houston Astros showed their incredible depth to the baseball world in 2022 and wore down the hot Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series. Can they do it again?

1.    Houston Astros – The loss of Justin Verlander would decimate a team but not the Astros. They are very deep in pitching and hitting. Their farm system is equal to the Dodgers, Yankees and Pirates. Losing Jose Altuve to injury will hurt but their pitching will carry them.

2.    Seattle Mariners – Last year it took the Mariners a couple of months and a rhubarb with the Angels to catch fire. This year expect the team to come out faster than last year. They also have Julio Rodriguez on Opening Day and that will make a difference on this very balanced team.

3.    Los Angeles Angels – If the Angels remain healthy they do have the offense and pitching to hunt for a playoff spot. It will truly depend if they can keep their big guns on the playing field. Whether it’s Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani or Anthony Rendon they need to play at least a 120 games to keep the team on tract. Their pitching staff is better than people think.

4.    Texas Rangers – With the new additions of Jacob LeGrom, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi you might be inclined to pick the Rangers to compete. But they still need a little bit more to trade blows with the Astros or Mariners. They also need a little bit more hitting. But the foundation is there.

5.    Oakland Athletics – Poor Oakland continues to be raided for its talent. But they definitely have one of the better scouting departments and always have talent coming from their farm system. Expect a nugget or two from this year’s crop of rookies making the team.    

AL Central

The division is mediocre on paper but last year the Cleveland Guardians didn’t read the paper, they can out swinging and beat some good teams in the playoffs. They are young and fiery. But look for Minnesota to rebound. They have too much talent to be refused.

1.    Minnesota Twins – Every year the Twins show talent on paper and then the season begins and they seem to lose their way. They are the most inconsistent team in MLB despite always showing talent. When it comes to pitching the Twins are pretty stacked and their hitting attack has been beefed up with the addition of Carlos Correa after the Giants and Mets asked for physicals. Maybe they knew something the Twins don’t know or want to know.

2.    Cleveland Guardians – Few teams are able to lose pitching like the Guardians and then bring up more gems season after season. It’s remarkable. They also find players like Andres Gimenez who they signed this week to a deal worth $106 million. Defense, hitting and pitching are their staples and they don’t have big boppers like the Yankees.

3.    Chicago White Sox – Last year the White Sox were the biggest disappointment after being the popular favorite by many experts to win it all. They were horrible and injuries to key players hurt them even more. Can they put it all back together?

4.    Kansas City Royals – It’s been eight years since the Royals won it all. But that team no longer exists except for catcher Salvador Perez. Everyone else has departed Kansas City. It seems the fans are loyally waiting for the team to return to its glory days. It’s difficult to be a Royals fan.

5.    Detroit Tigers – Just when it seems the Tigers are re-grouping they suddenly fall apart. Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera has retired and the vaunted pitching staff they had 10 years ago is long gone. But they still manage to churn out talent. Many ex-Tigers are playing for other teams so they just can’t seem to keep their talent.          

AL East

It’s a super tough division and despite the cash rich Yankees being the top of the heap, it’s not a sure thing. Toronto has young talent and even Baltimore is creeping up the ladder. Injuries seem to play a big part for all teams but somehow the Yankees always seem to have more. No sure things this year.

1.    New York Yankees – It’s the same old song as the Yankees are stacked again. More importantly they were able to re-sign Aaron Judge to a monster contract that will keep him in pinstripes till he retires. And why not? Judge single-handedly kept the Bronx Bombers in the playoff race even when they could not buy a hit. His AL record-breaking 62 homers spearheaded the Yankees return to the playoffs. They also have loads of pitching talent and a great farm system to go along with their money.

2.    Toronto Blue Jays – They came close to toppling the Yanks but they seemed to tire from the effort. The Jays may have even more hitting than the Yankees and might be the most potent hitting attack in the American League. Vlad Guerrero and Bo Bichette are two names that would scare any opposing team.

3.    Tampa Bay Rays – Every year the Rays seem to come up with new pitching talent. Has the well finally gone dry? Several of the position players have been released and new ones will take their place. Does this spell the end of their successive playoff run. Many questions remain except for their pitching talent. They still have really good pitching.

4.    Baltimore Orioles – The Orioles were in the hunt very late in the season and surprised many experts with a solid team in a competitive division. Can they keep it up. They are a very balanced team that has a good farm system and solid young players who don’t realize that baseball is not easy. Look for them to cause trouble again.

5.    Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox added several new players including two more Dodgers in Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen. They already have former Dodgers Kiki Hernandez and Alex Verdugo. Will it help? It can’t hurt. What they really need is starting pitching. Chris Sale can’t pitch every game.