In what has become an annual tradition, one of the ones where I make an idiot out of myself, I run through all six MLB divisions and make my predictions for the season. Last year I condensed the posts to a span of three days, but I continued the pattern of going across the country and alternating leagues, ending with the defending champion's division.
With that in mind, we'll kick things off out west in the National League.
NL West
Interleague pairing: AL East
2018: 92-71 (1st in NL West), 4 wins below COAS prediction; Lost World Series
This is another year where I see no reason to pick against the Dodgers atop the NL West. They return a good young core with guys like Justin Turner, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger. Even the loss of catcher Yasmani Grandal isn't a death blow to this group, partially because the pitching staff is still excellent, led by Clayton Kershaw and bookended by Kenley Jansen. They'll be right back in the thick of the pennant hunt.
2019 Prediction: 95-67
2018: 91-72 (2nd in NL West), 4 wins above COAS prediction; Lost NLDS
Colorado accomplished its major goal this offseason and locked up Nolan Arenado for the foreseeable future, with the major acquisition this offseason being Daniel Murphy to play first. I wasn't super sold on their pitching last year, but they proved they belonged last year, and I don't see any reason why they can't contend with the Dodgers for the division for much of the year.
2019 Prediction: 89-73, Wild Card
2018: 66-96 (5th in NL West), 4 wins below COAS prediction; missed playoffs
San Diego made the sexy splash of the offseason by landing Manny Machado, and there's some decent pieces elsewhere in the field with guys like Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer. But I'm not sold on their pitching. While the addition of Machado will definitely make this team better, I don't think it's quite enough to get them into contention yet.
2019 Prediction: 75-87
2018: 82-80 (3rd in NL West), 9 wins below COAS prediction; missed playoffs
The D-Backs regressed a little bit last year, and that's before we factor in the fact that they dealt Paul Goldschmidt away. There are still some decent pieces there, but no star in the lineup with Goldy's departure. The rotation is still pretty good though, headlined by Zach Greinke, so while I'm calling for a bit of a drop, it's not a huge one.
2019 Prediction: 75-87
2018: 73-89 (4th in NL West), 8 wins below COAS prediction; missed playoffs
I was right last year to bump the Giants down a bit finally, but I didn't expect them to fall as much as they did. Their infield remains pretty much the same as last year, but their outfield is a question mark, and I'm not sold on their rotation, even with Madison Bumgarner If He Stays Healthy leading the way. And because of that last factor, you have to be leery of the Giants.
2019 Prediction: 69-93
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