Back in April, on the eve of the 2013 baseball season, I looked into my crystal ball and tried to predict the outcomes of the division races and the major awards. Now that the season has come to an end the playoffs are in full swing, let’s take a look back at how things unfolded and how wrong my predictions were.
American League
East: Rays
Nobody really predicted the Red Sox bouncing back from their miserable 2012 campaign and winning the division this year. The Rays, meanwhile, managed to beat the Rangers in the tie-breaker game and make it as the second wild card.
Central: Tigers
This one was practically a no-brainer, although the Indians did make a race of it.
West: Angels
The Angels once again made a huge splash in the free agency market and then underachieved miserably during the season. The A’s, despite their precarious stadium and underfunded roster, took the division handily.
Wild Cards: Blue Jays, A’s
Despite totally remaking their roster, the Blue Jays failed to reach the playoffs once again. The Indians and the Rays were the actual wild card teams. Overall, for the AL, I managed to get one division winner correct and 3 of the 5 playoff teams correct.
National League
East: Braves
Hey, I got one right. I figured the Nationals were due to regress somewhat after they made the leap to contention last year.
Central: Brewers
I think this is the second year in a row I picked the Brewers to win the division and the second year in a row they have disappointed mightily. Losing Ryan Braun to a steroid suspension certainly didn’t help either. The Cardinals won a hard fought battle, beating out the Pirates and the Reds for the division title.
West: Dodgers
Another correct prediction. 2 out of 3 on the division winners in the NL. Not bad.
Wild Cards: Giants, Cardinals
Well, I was correct about the Cardinals making it to the playoffs, though they did end up winning the Central. I was off on the Giants, but who would have predicted that both wild card teams, the Reds and the surprising Pirates, would come from the NL Central? For the NL, I managed to get 2 of the division winners correct and, again, 3 out of the 5.