The 2014 season begins next Sunday as the San Diego Padres host the Los Angeles Dodgers although Monday is officially Opening Day. We here at Philliedelphia.com will be giving you our predictions for this season's outcomes. For the next five days, stay tuned to see how our writers think this season will turn out. Beginning with the West, Central and East, we will also predict the yearly awards and finally we will conclude with our predictions for our 2014 Philadelphia Phillies.
- 3/27: AL & NL Western Division Predictions
- 3/28: AL & NL Central Division Predictions
- 3/29: AL & NL Eastern Division Predictions
- 3/29: AL & NL Wild Card Teams Predictions
- 3/30: 2014 Yearly Award Predictions
- 3/31: 2014 Philadelphia Phillies Predictions
Today's piece features our predictions for the American League and National League Western Divisions.
Erik Seybold's Prediction:
AL West:
- Athletics (90-72)
- Angels (85-80)
- Rangers (81-81)
- Mariners (75-87)
- Astros (59-103)
I believe that the Athletics have the best shot this season to win the AL West. With the perfect mix of youth and experience, they will be neck and neck with the Angels, who will succomb to burn out late in the season. The Texas Rangers will finish at .500 after injuries drown the team. As for the Mariners – they will remain the same team who wins enough games to make the Wild Card interesting, but will flop at season's end even with the addition of Robinson Cano. The Astros will improve from last season, but will end up in dead last with yet another 100+ loss season.
NL West:
- Dodgers (100-62)
- Diamondbacks (92-70)
- Giants (79-83)
- Padres (76-86)
- Rockies (74-88)
The Dodgers will prevail in the NL West once again. Unlike their beginning struggle last season which ended up into a first place finish, I believe they will start out of the gate in first and finish there. As for the Diamondbacks, they remain a possible division winner, but will not match up to LA and will fit in a Wild Card slot. The Giants' signed Tim Hudson, but he won't help them much as they will miss 80 wins on the year. As for the Padres and Rockies, they have talent but not enough to compete against the Dodgers and DBacks.
Andrew Gillen's Predictions
AL West:
- Athletics (93-69)
- Angels (86-76)
- Rangers (82-80)
- Mariners (81-81)
- Astros (63-99)
The Athletics continue to be the face of the West, putting together a performance very similar to what they had last season. Los Angeles makes a push during the season, but can't make a full run at the division. Texas has too many injuries, and will never be real contenders. The Mariners have one impressive run of wins, but nothing ever clicks (see 2012 Marlins). The Astros, while improved, go no where.
NL West:
- Dodgers (98-64)
- Diamondbacks (89-73)
- Giants (83-79)
- Padres (76-86)
- Rockies (76-86)
LA's ridiculous spending pays off, propelling them to a runaway division title. Arizona quietly sneaks a second place finish, and probably a Wild Card. San Francisco is in an even season, but can't muster another World Series run, let alone a playoff appearance. San Diego does no better, no worse, and never looks very interesting. Colorado continues to victimize themselves, and finishes last once again.
Kevin Durso's Predictions:
AL West:
- Athletics (93-69)
- Angels (87-75)
- Rangers (85-77)
- Mariners (83-79)
- Astros (70-92)
NL West:
- Dodgers (95-67)
- Giants (94-68)
- D'Backs (91-71)
- Rockies (83-79)
- Padres (75-87)
It's hard to go against last season's champions. If the Dodgers can survive some of their early season injuries, they seem to have the pieces to make another playoff run. Until the Angels or Rangers are able to unseat the A's, I have to stick with Oakland.
Rich Wilkin's Predictions:
AL West:
- Oakland (95-67)
- Texas (91-71)
- Seattle (85-77)
- LA Angels (70-92)
- Houston (60-102)
NL West:
- San Fran (94-68)
- LA Dodgers (92-70)
- Colorado (81-81)
- Arizona (78-84)
- San Diego (72-90)
I have the A's winning for the third straight year, cruising past Texas for the division title with about 95 wins. Seattle is trendy, but I don't like their overall roster, the Angels are a disaster in the making, and Houston doesn't count, yet. I'm going with the surprise in the NL West, taking the Giants to unseat the Dodgers, unlike just about everyone else. The Giants have won two of the last four World Series, and tend to go one good year for each bad one with this group, so I think they bounce back and win the division with 94 wins. I have the Dodgers right in the thick of the playoff race, winning about 92 games, but falling short. Beyond that, the mess goes Rockies, D'Backs, Padres.
Brandon Apter's Predictions:
AL West:
- Rangers (96-66)
- Angels (94-68)
- A’s (91-71)
- Mariners (85-77)
- Astros (51-111)
I think Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton will have a bounce back year, but it is hard to ignore the huge acquisitions the Rangers made this offseason. The additions of Fielder and Choo will power the Rangers to take the West. The hitting to go along with what could be a solid, young pitching rotation will be exactly what Texas needs to take the division from Oakland.
NL West:
- Dodgers (94-68)
- Rockies (89-73)
- Giants (87-75)
- Diamondbacks (84-78)
- Padres (78-84)
Despite the early injury to Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers have the pitching and the offensive firepower to take the NL West. They have Adrian Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig to produce runs and a stellar bullpen to save the games with small leads. Look for LA to take the division over the Rockies, who will be surprise competitors throughout the season behind Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez.
Andrew Shipotofsky's Predictions:
AL West:
- Angels (94-68)
- A’s (92-70)
- Mariners (87-75)
- Rangers (82-80)
- Astros (62-100)
I think that the Angels will be back on top in the AL West. With Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton possibly having bounce back years and with Mike Trout, their offense looks like a force to reckon with. If pitching can hold up, they should do well. Though, the A’s and the Mariners will not make it easy for the Angels. I have a bad feeling about the Rangers this season, as their DL keeps getting larger.
NL West:
- Dodgers (96-66)
- Giants (90-72)
- Diamondbacks (85-77)
- Rockies (83-79)
- Padres (81-81)
I believe the Dodgers will have little problems winning the West. Even with Kershaw having an early injury, they should be fine. With an awesome bullpen and mix of veterans around Yasiel Puig, Dodgers fans should have little to worry about. The Giants you can never count out always find a way to stick around. The Diamondbacks and Rockies will battle it out for the third spot, while the Padres will be around .500.
There you have it, folks. Maybe we're right – maybe we're wrong.
Do your predictions match up with ours? Comment below or comment on our Facebook page!
Tomorrow features the AL and NL Central Predictions!
