MLB Predictions 2023: Here Are Your Division Winners, World Series Champion

How do we summarize a 2022 season and a 2022-23 off-season where the The Detroit Tigers rank fourth in the American League Central (and inherit the longest playoff drought in MLB — a few hours ahead of the Los Angeles Angels), the Philadelphia Phillies are riding a coaching fire and one from Dave Dombrowski ( Where have we seen that before?) to the NL pennant, the Cleveland Guardians sneak away with the AL Central title, the Houston Astros win their second World Series in six seasons, Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa signs at the San Francisco Giants, the New York Mets, and eventually landing with the Minnesota Twins for a long-term deal. And, oh yes, ex-Tigers righty Justin Verlander has jumped from the Astros to the Mets (where he’ll be reunited with ex-Tigers righty Max Scherzer) on a last-minute deal.

Oh, well, that pretty much sums it all up, doesn’t it?

But what about 2023? That’s where Free Press sportswriters Ryan Ford and Evan Petzold come in, ready to answer any questions you might have about this MLB season.

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Will the Astros repeat itself? Can the Phillies float long enough to bring Bryce Harper back from elbow surgery, Rhys Hoskins from knee surgery and ex-Tiger Gregory Soto from not throwing enough sliders for strikes? Will the Guardians repeat themselves, or will the Twins’ bevy of moves – including AL batting champion Luis Arraez’s dealing to right-hander Pablo López – pay off. Speaking of the payout, what exactly will the Texas Rangers get from Jacob deGrom (who makes about $37 million this season from 6⅔ innings in spring training) besides a tax write-off?

We may not have all the answers, but we do have some thoughts on how the six divisions will prevail (Is this the year of the Seattle Mariners?)who will win everything (How much do the San Diego Padres have to spend?) and who will take home all the awards (Will there be a Blue November?). We’ll get the answers soon enough, but here are our predictions:

The story goes on

*Denotes placeholder space

AL headquarters

RyanFord

1.Chicago White Sox.

2nd Guardian of Cleveland.*

3. Minnesota Twins.

4. Detroit Tigers.

5. Kansas City Royals.

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Eva Petzold

1st Cleveland Guardian.

2. Minnesota Twins.

3.Chicago White Sox.

4. Detroit Tigers.

5. Kansas City Royals.

At least

ford

1.Toronto Blue Jays.

2. New York Yankees.*

3. Tampa Bay Rays.

4.Boston Red Sox.

5. Baltimore Orioles.

Petzold

1.Toronto Blue Jays.

2. New York Yankees.*

3. Orioles of Baltimore.*

4. Tampa Bay Rays.

5.Boston Red Sox.

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AL west

ford

1. Houston Astros.

2.Seattle Mariners.*

3. Texas Ranger.

4. Angels from Los Angeles.

5. Oakland Athletics.

Petzold

1. Houston Astros.

2.Seattle Mariners.*

3. Angels from Los Angeles.

4. Texas Ranger.

5. Oakland Athletics.

NL headquarters

ford

1. St. Louis Cardinals.

2.Milwaukee Brewers.

3. Chicago Cubs.

4. Cincinnati Red.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates.

Petzold

1. St. Louis Cardinals.

2.Milwaukee Brewers.

3. Chicago Cubs.

4. Cincinnati Red.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates.

NL East

ford

1.Atlanta Braves.

2. New York Mets.*

3. Philadelphia Phillies.*

4. Miami Marlin.

5. Washington Nationals.

Petzold

1. New York Mets.

2.Atlanta Braves.*

3. Philadelphia Phillies.*

4. Miami Marlin.

5. Washington Nationals.

NL West

ford

1. San Diego Padres.

2.Los Angeles Dodgers.*

3. Arizona Diamondbacks.

4. San Francisco Giants.

5. Colorado Rockies.

Petzold

1.Los Angeles Dodgers.

2. San Diego Padres.*

3. Arizona Diamondbacks.

4. San Francisco Giants.

5. Colorado Rockies.

The Postseason

(league seeds in brackets)

ford

AL toilet: Guardians (6) over White Sox (3); Mariners (4) over Yankees (5).

NL World Cup: Phillies (6) over Cardinals (3); Mets (5) over Dodgers (4).

ALD: Mariners (4) over Astros (1); Blue Jay (2) over Warden (6).

NLDS: Padres (1) over Mets (5); Braves (2) over Phillies (6)

ALCS: Blue Jays (2) over Mariners (4).

NLKS: Padres (1) via Braves (2)

World Series: Padres about Blue Jays.

Petzold

AL toilet: Guardians (3) over Orioles (6); Mariners (4) over Yankees (5).

NL World Cup: Phillies (6) over Dodgers (3); Braves (4) over Padres (5).

ALD: Blue Jays (1) over Mariners (4); Guardians (3) over Astros (2).

NLDS: Cardinals (1) over Braves (4); Mets (2) over Phillies (6).

ALCS: Blue Jay (1) over Warden (3).

NLKS: Cardinals (1) over Mets (2).

World Series: Blue Jays over Cardinals.

The awards

ford

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays.

AL Cy Young: Alek Manoah, Blue Jays.

AL Rookie of the Year: Anthony Volpe, Yankees.

NL MVP: Manny Machado, Padres.

NL Cy Young: Corbin Burnes, Brewer.

NL Rookie of the Year: Jordan Walker, Cardinals.

Petzold

AL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Angel.

AL Cy Young: Framber Valdez, Astros.

AL Rookie of the Year: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles.

NL MVP: Trea Turner, Phillies.

NL Cy Young: Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks.

NL Rookie of the Year: Jordan Walker, Cardinals.

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This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: 2023 MLB Predictions: Division Winners, World Series Champions, MVPs