We are roughly 50 games into the MLB season, and we are beginning to see which teams could be contenders and which could be pretenders. We’re also finding out who’s already looking forward to next season. However, with so many games remaining, some teams are still hanging around the .500 mark and can change their season entirely for better or worse.
From predictable strong starts by teams like the Philadelphia Phillies to the historically bad baseball being played by the Colorado Rockies, there are so many teams that we can discuss at this point, but let’s focus on a few teams that have some of the easiest remaining schedules that I expect to make some noise for the rest of the season.
5 Predictions For the Rest of the MLB Season
1. The Astros Will Win the AL West Yet Again
The Houston Astros are currently chasing the Seattle Mariners in the AL West. Both teams have a very solid starting rotation when healthy. The Mariners have a solid bullpen as well and the Astros arguably have the best bullpen in all of baseball. The main reason the Mariners have a small lead over the Astros at the time of this writing is that Houston is 20th in runs scored and losing Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker is a huge reason for that.
However, this is a team that still has Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and now Christian Walker. All three of these guys are having down years to this point, with Alvarez dealing with injuries as well, but the pitching has kept Houston in it. There’s just no way these three hitters continue to struggle the rest of the way. Look for at least 2 of them to heat up and give this offense a much-needed boost.
The Astros are also tied with the Chicago Cubs for the easiest remaining schedule in baseball. The Mariners are a good, balanced team, and also have a fairly easy remaining schedule, so the race for this division will likely come down to the very end but give me Houston to edge out Seattle and the Texas Rangers.
2. The Cubs Will Hold Off the Cardinals and Reds
The Cubs are currently in a tight battle with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds for the NL Central. You also can’t count out the Milwaukee Brewers at this point yet either, even though their overall pitching has to improve considerably. All of these teams have their specific weaknesses, but as far as strengths go, where the Cubs separate themselves from the pack is their offense. They have one of the best lineups in baseball and adding Tucker from the Astros is a huge addition to this team.
They do have real concerns in the bullpen and rotation, as they’ve lost Justin Steele for the year and Shota Imanaga is dealing with a hamstring, but this is a team that just keeps out-scoring other teams and there is no reason to think the offense will cool off at this point. This team will most likely be buyers at the trade deadline and should address their pitching needs.
As I mentioned earlier the Cubs and Astros have the easiest remaining schedules in baseball and Chicago’s lineup is just too good to not keep them in this race until the deadline. Help is on the way Cubs fans! Give me the Cubs to beat out the Reds and Cardinals in the NL Central.
3. The Yankees Will Run Away With the AL East
I never said these would all be bold predictions. Currently, the New York Yankees are cruising in the AL East. The Baltimore Orioles, who were considered to be their main competition are having a nightmare season and will most likely be heavy sellers at the trade deadline.
The Yankees have the best lineup in the division, they have the best rotation in the division, and they also have the best bullpen in the division. They also have this guy named Aaron Judge that’s not too bad at baseball. The Yankees did lose Gerrit Cole for the season to Tommy John surgery but they added Max Fried in the offseason from the Atlanta Braves and he has been even better than the Yankees could have possibly imagined. This is just a very strong team playing in one of the weakest divisions in baseball if not the weakest.
The Yankees have everything they need to get back to the World Series even though there will be some strong teams to deal with to get there. New York also has the third easiest remaining schedule left in baseball, playing in the AL East certainly helps. Look for the Yankees to close this race out pretty early and possibly be fighting for the top seed in the AL side of the playoffs.
4. The Tigers Will Finish With the Best Record in the AL
It wasn’t that long ago that the AL Central was considered the laughingstock of baseball, now it’s arguably the best division in baseball and it’s currently led by the Detroit Tigers. Detroit not only has the best record in the Central, they also have the best record in the entire league.
With an excellent rotation led by 2024 AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and a good bullpen, this team doesn’t give you many opportunities to put up runs. To make matters worse for opponents, they also are hitting like a top 5 lineup in baseball. Some will say they are overachieving at the plate, but even if that is the case this will certainly be a team that will be buyers at the deadline. They may be a Nolan Arenado or Ryan McMahon away from playing in the World Series.
While there are many threats in the Central, the Tigers have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league, with the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and Cleveland Guardians all having difficult roads the rest of the way. I expect the Tigers to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat and also flex their muscle against the other Central teams, earning the top seed in the AL over the Yankees in a tight race when it’s all said and done.
5. The Giants Will Make the Playoffs
The San Francisco Giants would probably be considered one of the biggest surprises early on in the season but is it just a hot start or are they here to stay? Currently, they are in a four-team battle for the NL West with the defending World Series Champions Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks. All four of these teams are excellent at something, whether it’s the pitching from the Padres and Giants or the hitting from the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. It will be incredibly difficult to win this division outright.
The Giants have one of the best bullpens in baseball, some would say THE best. They have a very solid rotation as well, led by the always-reliable Logan Webb. They do not have the firepower offensively that the Dodgers and Diamondbacks possess, but they have more than held their own this season. San Francisco is another team that is a bat or two away from being serious contenders for the World Series and they should be buyers at the deadline.
It wouldn’t be completely shocking if four teams made the playoffs from the NL West. While I don’t expect this to happen, I do believe three will. The Giants have nine games left to play against the Rockies, and six each against the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Miami Marlins. Look for them to take advantage of these games and most likely grab a wild card.
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